Hyperdimension Chronicles Arc Two: New Beginnings
by CloneNo.9982
Summary: Ten years have passed since after the last war caused by the battle of the goddesses, with the forces of good winning against evil and bringing about an everlasting peace throughout Gamindustri. As the world progresses to an even better future, a new beginning starts, with new forms of adversaries along the way. - Sequel to Arc One.
1. Prologue

Prologue – Off to a New Start

It has been a good ten years later now after the Southern continent, or the free nation of Leanbox, was finally able to thwart the threat known as the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime or ASIC, successors of the group known only as the Legion, from their plans to spread chaos and revive the vile goddess known as Arfoire, the corrupt sibling of the pure goddess Celestia.

ASIC, formed after the corrupt followers of Arfoire known as the Legion was defeated by the hands of the very first Patron Unit of Celestia or now commonly known as CPU, planned to continue the thwarted goals of the Legion to spread chaos so as to revive the evil goddess. Lead by the new chosen successor of the spirit of the Legion's leader, a woman who only named herself Magic, ASIC continued to wreck havoc. After getting driven away from Leanbox, the remainder who formed ASIC has spread their influence and terror at the poorest region of Gamindustri, the Western continent.

While at the poor continent, Magic has managed to influence westerners to put their faith on their vile goddess. And those who resisted were faced with death. What made matters worse, she was able to get hold of three divine weapons known as Furies and corrupted them using the dark powers bestowed upon Magic by the Legion's leader, giving birth to three mechanical looking monstrosities. And together they got known as the Four Felons of ASIC, where they used all in their power to spread terror to those who refuses to ally with them.

ASIC's plan was short-lived however when the CPU of Leanbox known as Green Heart, who also goes by the name of Vert Gheytz, gathered all of Leanbox's forces and attempted to completely wipe the evil forces off the world by pursuing ASIC at the Western continent and eliminate them once and for all.

"And so, a raging battle ensued on the Western continent, huh…." Muttered a young boy about the age of twelve years old while reading on some sort of book about the history of how the battle of the goddesses fueled the war between good and evil. The boy has pale white skin, a bit thin built body, messy shoulder length jet black hair, and bright crimson eyes. He wears only simple clothing like a dark gray t-shirt, shorts colored black with deep blue highlights on the seams and on his feet are a pair of black sandals. "Lead by Green Heart, the forces of Leanbox went ahead and immediately attacked the forces of ASIC upon arrival while the expecting enemy forces were waiting along the shoreline."

"There you are again, sitting on the same tree by Zelwinds park, all alone but instead of just sitting there staring at the grass underneath where your feet lies, you're reading a book about history. At least something changed huh…..Hmhm."

When the young boy looked up to see who spoke before him, he immediately looked down and blushed in embarrassment.

"L-lady Marianna…." Mumbled the young boy.

"Hmhm. A pleasant afternoon to you…, Kuroe." Marianna replied to the young boy. "Why don't you play with the other children playing around the park? They seem to be having fun." She added after looking at the number of children playing around the park with their own ways of having fun.

"I just… don't feel like playing with them." Kuroe replied to Marianna before going back to reading the book in his hand.

"Hmm…. Could it be that you don't actually have friends from the children of the orphanage?" Marianna teasingly said to him. With that though, Kuroe got taken aback as a reaction and got flustered.

"I-I do have friends…!" Kuroe stated in defense while being all embarrassed.

"Who~? The children more younger than you are? But those are just toddlers, Kuroe. You need friends of the same age as you." Marianna teased to Kuroe even further.

"Th-that's not what I'm referring to…!" Kuroe defended once more while getting embarrassed more. "Jeez…."

"Then who are you referring to… ~?" Marianna muttered with a little grain as she looked up at the tall tree where Kuroe decided to settle in. "Hm? Oh, I guess you are referring to that child, huh."

"Child…?" Kuroe repeated in confusion before what Marianna said finally occurred to him. "O-oh… that kid who has a Fencer for a guardian. N-not really my friend but…."

"But?" Marianna repeated.

"N-nothing…." Kuroe replied while a bit flustered before perusing the book in his hand once again.

"You know, Kuroe, you should take opportunity to make more friends especially during the times when the orphanage is giving some of the children time to play outside. Isn't that right, Marianna?"

When both Kuroe and Marianna looked at who talked, they saw Sherman approaching with his usual calm demeanor.

"That's what I was trying to say to him." Muttered Marianna to her fellow Fencer.

"Then let me ask you, Kuroe…" Sherman started. "… what is your goal in life? What do you dream for your future life?"

"W-well, lord Sherman…" Kuroe started to say. "… I really want to become a great leader someday…. A leader that can provide my people with all their needs and give them to a better way of living."

"How ironic…." Mumbled Marianna with a tinge of sarcasm.

"Come now, Marianna, let's not discourage his dreams. Haha…." Sherman said to her with a smile of someone feeling awkward. "But how do you plan on starting, then?"

"Well…I will start by travel around, I guess." Kuroe answered. "I think…by exploring around, I can learn a lot. For me to achieve greatness, I need to learn many things if I want to achieve my dreams of becoming a great leader."

"And so greatness awaits the brave Kuroe Kuterogi as he plans his adventures outside of the East continent…." Marianna said with another tinge of sarcasm. "But you need to make friends first, in my opinion."

"Gh…." Sighed Kuroe out.

"Anyway, we need to be on our way now, Marianna. The general awaits our attendance." Sherman told his fellow Fencer.

"I see. Let us go, then." Marianna replied before turning around to leave. "See you soon, Kuroe."

"Uh…y-yes, ma'am." Kuroe said shyly.

"Yeah, see you soon and…" Sherman then looked at the tree again before giving his usual calm smile. "… be careful now." He said before following Marianna.

"Uh…thanks, I guess?" Said Kuroe in confusion. "But why do I need to be careful, anyways…? I'm only sitting on the foot of this tree. It's not like something will fall on this tree-"

 _*Crack!*_

 _*Rustling and breaking sounds of branches from the tree*_

"Waaaaaaah~! Move, move, mooooooove!"

"What the-?!"

 _ ***BLAM!***_

"Ouchies…~" moaned a young girl in pain as she rubs her sore back. The girl in question has short lilac or light purple hair with bangs that reach down to her collar bone and purple eyes. Around her neck is a choker that has a light blue directional pads symbol on it. She wears a mostly white hoodie dress that has a light purple hood, strings that look like controller plugs, and two huge purple and white pockets with purple directional pad symbols on them. The zipper emblem and the back of the hoodie has a purple directional pad symbols on them as well. She wears light blue and white striped thigh high socks with frills at the tops and her shoes are purple and blue. "Man, I knew that last branch was on the crunchy side already~. Good thing that I landed on a pretty soft spot~. Hehehe~."

"That's…because you landed on me, idiot!" Yelled Kuroe as he groans in pain after the aforementioned girl landed on top of him.

"Eh~?"

When the young girl, who looks about the same age as Kuroe, turned around to look at him… "Oh~! Well if it ain't Cutey-rogi~.

"D-don't call me that, you idiot…!" Yelled Kuroe more as the girl still remained on top of him.

"Bah…. Cutey-rogi is anything but cute now….~ Lame~." Teased the young girl. "No wonder you don't have any friends."

"Just…get off me, Yuu!"

"Gaaaah! Okay, okay…!" Muttered the girl named Yuu as she hurriedly gets off Kuroe. "Jeez. As grouchy as ever, Kuroe."

"Tch…let's see what your reaction will be if a person suddenly falls over you…!" Grumbled Kuroe as he stands up. "What were you doing up this tree, anyway?"

"Uh…" Started Yuu with a deep thought. "… spying… on you?" She kinda answered before sticking her tongue out.

"And why were spying on me, Yuu?" Kuroe wondered out of irritability.

"Hehe~. No reason~." Yuu cheerfully answered.

"Jeez…." Sighed Kuroe. "You're randomness really is beyond what I can imagine…. Anyway, I need to return this book back to the library. So, if you have no more business with me I shall be-"

"Wait~!" Yuu interrupted after grabbing Kuroe's free hand. "Come with me."

"H-huh? Where to?" Asked a flustered and bewildered Kuroe.

"To the hillside~!" Yuu answered cheerfully. "Let's eat some sweet pudding while sitting at the hillside and waiting for the sun to set~! And then do some stargazing as well~! I wanna see my favorite star again~!"

"Wh-why would I come with you now all of a sudden…?" Asked a still flustered and bewildered Kuroe. "Besides I still need to-"

"Come on, buddy….~" Pleaded Yuu to the boy while attempting to make a pitiful face at him.

"Hmm….f-fine…." Mumbled Kuroe after giving in to the girl's request. "But the puddings are on you, get it?"

"Sure thing~!" Said Yuu cheerfully. "Woohoo~!" She then cheered on while spinning in a cheerful manner.

"Jeez…, why are so cheerful today, anyway?" Asked Kuroe.

"Because…" Yuu started before turning to her friend. "…I am always cheerful. Hehehe~"

And so begins a new story…..

* * *

 _ **Writer's Note: Greetings to readers! I hope you enjoyed reading the sequel of my first HDN Arc series. There's still more to come after this so expect consistent updates on this. Liking it so far? Any inconsistencies in the story? Share your thoughts as any will be very much appreciated. So good day and cheers!**_


	2. Chapter 1 - Black and Purple

Chapter One – Black and Purple

"Hurry up, Kuroe~!" Demanded a cheerful Yuu while carrying a plastic bag containing a couple of pudding in plastic cups as she and her friend make their way to the top of a small hill just near Zelwinds Park. "It's already nighttime. I don't want to get master mad if I get home late again~."

"Yeah yeah, keep your shirt on…." Replied Kuroe without really hurrying. "And besides, it's not my fault if your sister scolds you for coming home late. You're the one who wants to hang out here at night ti-"

"Aaaand touch down~!" Cheerfully yelled Yuu after settling down on a flat, grassy soil. "Ah, still standing there, huh Cutey-rogi….~"

"I said don't call me that!" Demanded a flustered Kuroe. "And you didn't even listened to what i-"

"Ooh~! It's visible already~!" said a gleeful Yuu as she points up at the starry sky, looking up with awe.

"D-don't ignore me…!" Mumbled Kuroe, a bit frustrated now before giving off a sigh of defeat afterwards. But when he followed with his gaze where Yuu is pointing up, there he saw a uniquely colored star. Unique because, unlike the other stars around which are whitish blue, it sparkles a purplish white radiance and it glows brighter than the rest as well.

"You know, Yuu, I still don't get why you adore the Neptune star a lot." Muttered Kuroe before sitting down besides the girl and helping himself with one pudding cup. " _And after all the few times we've done this, why have I only asked you this now…?_ " He thought in his mind while eating.

"Well, my master is the one who influenced me, I guess." Yuu replied before helping herself with a pudding cup as well, gobbling up the contents after opening using the included small plastic spoon. "She said that if I ever feel sad or troubled, all I need is to look up at the night sky and let the beautiful star covered sky and gentle breeze wash away the sadness in my heart. Hehe~. That's where I found this pretty purple star."

"I see…." Muttered Kuroe before shoving another spoonful of pudding in his mouth. "But pretty shallow if that is your only reason to adore it this much."

"How cold, Kuroe…!" Yuu said with a pout.

"And why do you call your sister 'master' again?" Asked Kuroe.

"Because that's what she wants me to call her after she started training me with sword skills~." Yuu answered nonchalantly.

"Oh yeah, I remember now." Kuroe replied, eating more sweet pudding. "So what made the star special again?"

"For your information, it has also granted me wishes." She said with some boasting.

"Wishes, huh…." Muttered Kuroe, obviously not believing in what Yuu just said.

"It's true~!" Yuu insisted to her friend. "I remember the time almost last year ago while I was waiting for master to get home, I was looking up at the night sky, staring blindly at the purple star until I thought in my mind that 'Oh I wish Master buys me a gaming console.' But sadly master didn't went home that night from her quest so I went to sleep in my lonesome."

"So where's the wish come true part?" Kuroe asked a bit teasingly.

"I'm getting there~! Impatient Kuroe-pii….~" Yuu said to tease her friend.

"Kuroe what?"

"Aaanyway~" Yuu started. "When I woke up in the morning, there beside my pillow was a fully sealed box that contains a handheld console~! And it's complete with three game cartridges too! And when I stepped out of my little room, there was master sitting on our small dining table eating breakfast, and upon seeing me she uttered those memorable words 'So, like your new game console, Yuu?'. Ah, I remember tackle hugging her due to my extreme delight….~"

"Uh…huh…. So your saying that's where your console came from? From a wish?" Kuroe mumbled awkwardly, not even trying hard to believe what Yuu just said while finishing his pudding cup. "A handheld console manufactured from the North continent, right?"

"Yup~." Answered Yuu before pulling out the handheld console the size and shape of a brick and turning it on. "Colored gaming at its finest! Good thing the screen has a back light too. Well I do prefer one of those more powerful consoles made by Leanbox that you plug in a TV though but hey, beggars can't be picky~. "

"Hm…" Kuroe breathed out while looking at the handheld gaming console Yuu now started playing at.

"Hmm? Wanna play with it for a moment?" Yuu asked, willing to let her gaming console be borrowed by Kuroe.

"N-no, but thanks for offering..." Kuroe replied, pausing for a moment before speaking again. "Good thing it's still working, huh."

"Huh?" Yuu asked in confusion. "Oh yeah. I did had a pretty bad fall earlier, huh. Thanks for catching me, Kuroe~."

"More like landing on me hard…." Retorted Kuroe before giving off a serious look at Yuu. "But the incident from this afternoon wasn't the one I was referring. Remember how I repaired that for you after you…had that incident last month?"

Yuu was playing for a moment before what Kuroe said sunk into her, making her stop playing for a while and gave off a bit of sad expression. "Oh…that, huh. Ehehe. That was a big doozy, huh."

"I thought you died back then…!" Kuroe said seriously, remembering such events from his mind. "We were on one of your stargazing on the roof top of the orphanage…. We were leaning on the railings after eating some pudding. You were still gazing up on the night sky while I was looking at the horizon. And then that huge earthquake happened…. The shaking made me lose balance but I pushed myself away from the railings so I fell on my back by the pavement…." He then paused again for a moment before speaking once more. "But you…I saw the railings gave away…, with you along with it."

"Y-yeah…ahaha…. That was a scary experience for me, alright…." Mumbled Yuu awkwardly.

"It was more than just scary!" Kuroe shouted as he stands up while looking down at Yuu with a concerned expression. "I saw you fall from the edge of the roof top, because you weren't able to move away quickly from the railings as I did…! And when all the shaking stopped, I mustered all my courage to look at the edge of the roof top, hoping you were able to cling on to something. But there you were…sprawled on the pavement below…with some of the railings on top of your unconscious body…. I really…" He then paused for a moment again. "…thought you were dead after falling off from a five story building…."

"But as you can see…~" Yuu said before standing up in a firm stance. "… I am alive and in one piece~! So forget those awful memories and move on, my bestest buddy of mine~."

"Like it's easy to forget…." Muttered Kuroe, but hearing her say best buddy made him blush a bit but fortunately for him it was a bit dim on their location so Yuu didn't noticed. "Still…it was odd that you survived that huge fall while only receiving minor cuts and bruises…."

"Well...I have quite the sturdy build, after all~." Yuu teasingly said.

"Even so, it's still impossible for anyone, especially for us children, to survive a fall like that." Argued Kuroe. "D-don't get me wrong, I'm very glad you got out of that alive and well. I just…find it hard to process how you survived with only scratches and bruises."

"Uh, you said cuts and bruises earlier, Kuroe." Yuu pointed out to him.

"M-minor details…!" Kuroe retorted.

"Well…I wished to the star that I wanna live and save me~." Yuu answered nonchalantly.

"S-seriously?" Muttered a baffled Kuroe.

"Yup~! I prayed as hard as I can." Yuu replied insistently. "When my head hit the pavement though it really knocked me out. I thought I was dead there. Hehe~."

"Heh…. Yeah I even remember you saying 'Am I in heaven now?' once you regained consciousness on the hospital bed." Kuroe said.

"I even remember how worried you were while standing beside my sick bed. Hehe~." Yuu told Kuroe, albeit a bit teasingly.

"Sh-shut it…." Kuroe embarrassingly retorted.

"Awww~. Admit it that you were badly concerned about my condition~." Yuu teasingly said more.

"Wh-who wouldn't be worried after seeing you fall from that height?" Kuroe embarrassingly retorted back. "J-jeez gimme a break…."

"Ahahahahaha~! Sorry, sorry." Yuu said, amused at how Kuroe reacted. "But seriously, thanks for worrying about me." She said with a smile.

"A-anyway, I need to get back." Kuroe told Yuu, flustered with what she just said.

"Eh? Time runs fast, huh. Hehe~." Yuu jokingly said.

"Y-yeah. Curfew, you know." Kuroe told her as a reason.

"Hehe, I understand." Yuu replied. "Well, thanks for hanging out with me, Kuroe-pii~! See you tomorrow!" And after saying her goodbye, Yuu ran off towards the city proper of Dorfa, saying the name of her favored heavenly object with a rhythm as she runs.

"S-stop giving me weird nicknames!" Kuroe awkwardly yelled at Yuu. "And don't run too fast or you'll-"

*Blam!*

"Nepu?! Ouch…."

"-trip…."

But Yuu immediately stood up, wiped the dirt off her clothes and continued to run some more, singing her own rhythm like she didn't even tripped at all.

"And what is 'nepu'…? A nickname for the star?" Kuroe wondered to himself before he shook his head. "What a weird and random girl you are Yuu…." And with that, he turned around and walked back towards the orphanage to go home.

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the city skirts just near the border of Dorfa and Zelwinds City, there lies an abandoned warehouse in the middle of an unfinished construction site just below a cliffside.

"Hmhm…. Target location acquired…." Muttered a young woman as she gaze upon the disheveled building through a pair of binoculars from afar. "Hmm…I see. About six people are inside. Obviously a couple of ASIC remnants. Brewing up plans to terrorize the East continent, huh. Hmhm…. This should be fun….~"

Setting down the pair of binoculars, the woman then proceeded to procure her weapon, which is a long, single bladed, crimson colored sword that slowly ignited in flames after the owner seemingly channeled her powers to the sword.

"Today is a good day for you all to die…."

With one giant leap up, the woman swiftly slashes down her sword, creating a wave if fire that came crashing down on the warehouse, destroying its roof and immediately engulfing the building in flames. However, as the woman safely landed on her feet just a few meters away from the burning warehouse, a single man wearing a black robe with a hood burst out from the building in a panic. But after spotting the woman, the man immediately halted his tread and hurriedly backed down, tripping on the spot and cowering in fear.

"Y-you…how are you able to track us?!" yelled the hooded man in fright.

"Hmhm. Evil cannot hide from me, sadly for you." Muttered the woman as she walks towards the man before pulling out this time a silver revolver gun with her free hand and pointed it at the cowering man. "You were fortunate enough to have survived my flames. But sadly for you, the only fate evildoers have are to die miserably."

But the hooded man seemed to have steeled himself up as he was able to give the woman a menacing look before speaking.

"You cannot stop us…! We are still many…! And we will make sure… our beloved goddess is revived! Kill me… but it won't stop my fellow brethren from instilling terror and spreading the words of our goddess Arfoire!"

But the young woman seem to be unwavered by the man's remarks and only gave off an amused smirk.

"Pathetic…."

And on that night by the burning warehouse, the last thing heard was a gunshot.

To be continued….


	3. Chapter 2 - Yuu and her Master

Chapter Two – Yuu and her Master

It was early in the morning, and Yuu is still asleep but not in her room, but in their living room sofa. She decided that, after hanging out with Kuroe, she will wait for her sister to get home that night. Sadly though, she did not went home as early as Yuu hoped and the young girl fell asleep on the spot on their sofa, with her handheld console sprawled on the floor just below her dangling arm as she sleeps soundly. She and her 'master' live on a small apartment with two small bedrooms, a kitchen and dining room altogether, a small bathroom near one of the rooms and a simple living room that contains a sofa where Yuu is currently sleeping at, a low, long table in front of the sofa and a twenty nine inch cathode ray tube television on top of a television stand with a shelf that contains some trinkets and small figurines that Yuu herself has collected or, much to her master's disagreement, picked up on roads and even on the garbage.

"Hmhm. Oh, Yuu." Muttered a young woman as she approached the sleeping girl. This person is a fair-skinned girl with large blue eyes. She has long gray hair grown out to hip length. She wears a black blazer with orange and red highlights on the tip of the sleeves. Underneath the blazer she wears a dark blue blouse along with a black bow tie worn around the collar. She also wears a plain black, school uniform-like skirt, a gun holster belted on her right thigh, and on her feet are a pair of long, black boots that reaches up to below her knee. And on her hands are a pair of black gloves made of synthetic leather. "Hmhm…. You must have waited for a while and ended up sleeping on the couch." She muttered more before gently patting the head of the sleeping girl.

"Hnnggh…."

Patting her head seemed to have stirred Yuu, enough to wake her up.

"Eh...?" Mumbled Yuu while scratching her eyes after waking up.

"Good morning to you, little Yuu." Greeted the woman to Yuu with a smile.

"M-master Nitroplus~!" Yuu yelled out in delight before tackling the woman with quite a hug, making them both stumble on the floor.

"Ow…. Th-that was quite a hug, Yuu." Mumbled Nitroplus as she rubs the back of her head after hitting the floor. "I noticed that you're often doing that now…. Hehe."

"Oops~. Sorry~." Yuu apologized before letting go of Nitroplus and sitting on the floor. "But did it work?"

"Hm? What will work?" Asked Nitroplus in a bit of confusion as she sat up as well.

"Your head hit the floor, right~?" Yuu replied energetically. "So, did it work? You got your memories back~?"

"Hmhm. I don't think it works that way like I've said a couple of times now, Yuu." Nitroplus answered.

"Awwww…. " Yuu muttered, a bit disappointed before pouting.

"Well I am still getting flashbacks from time to time but…all it did was give me a headache." Nitroplus told Yuu as she rubs her head. "And also…" She then procured her crimson sword out.

"Ooh~. Raw meat…." Yuu cheerfully muttered while eyeing the sword with admiration.

"Yeah, I dunno why I called it that." Nitroplus said while looking at the sword. "Well the sword did whispered in my mind before that I should call it such name. It even said that I gave it such name. And not only that, it's also the one that whispered the name Nitroplus in my head, saying that is what I named myself before losing my memories."

"Ooh. Furies are really mysterious…." Yuu mentioned, giving the sword a curious look while posing like some sort of detective.

"Indeed they are." Nitroplus agreed on before hiding her weapon back. "It's no wonder a lot of people are hunting them down, whether for good deeds or personal gains."

"But you're doing it for the sake of good, right master?" Yuu curiously asked while remaining cheerful.

"Of course. I'm doing this for the good of Dorfa." Nitroplus answered. "But I'm especially doing this for your safety, Yuu." She added before patting the girl's head gently.

"But I bet you wanna get your memories back as soon as possible, huh master." Yuu told Nitroplus.

"Well, yeah I guess." Nitroplus said, a bit unsure of herself. "Anyway, you're really enjoying calling me master, huh."

"But you told me to call you that. Hehe~." Yuu told Nitroplus cheerfully.

"But I only said that I will be your master in training you with sword skills." Nitroplus mentioned to Yuu.

"Still the same~." Yuu insisted.

"Fine, fine, you little rascal." Nitroplus conceded with a smile.

"So, how was your mission?" Yuu asked curiously.

"Hmhm. Dealing with a bunch of ASIC remnants huddled on an abandoned warehouse is no hard task, Yuu." Nitroplus answered in a prideful tone.

"As expected of master….~" Yuu said with praise.

"Anyway, go freshen yourself up while I whip us some breakfast."

"Eh? Are we going somewhere, master?" Yuu asked curiously as she stands up.

"Hehe. Again with the master calling." Nitroplus muttered as she stands up as well. "As for your question, I'm thinking that we should go visit the marketplace. Sound good enough?"

"Ooh~! The Zelwinds marketplace, right~?" Yuu asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"The only place to buy a lot of bargain items, yes." Nitroplus answered.

"Then I'll be bringing my money purse." Yuu said before heading to her room. A few minutes later, she re-emerged from her room, carrying a fist size, purple money purse that looks like it's about to explode and spill it's contents after Yuu crammed in all of her money savings.

"Wow. I never expected you to be able to save that much money." Nitroplus mentioned, giving praise to Yuu achievement in money saving.

"Ah! I think I got insulted there. Of course I also save some money, sis." Yuu retorted with a pout afterwards before putting her heavy money purse down on the table.

"Hmm…. This is heavy, alright." Nitroplus confirmed after picking up Yuu's money purse. "How much gold were you able to save from what I give to you?"

"About ten thousand worth of gold~! Hehe~." Yuu cheerfully told Nitroplus.

"Wh-whoa. That is quite some savings you did here." Nitroplus muttered in surprise.

"Aww. I'm not the kind that splurge my money, you know." Yuu said with a pout.

"Well, every time I gave you your share of money, when I get home from duty, I either see you eating a lot of food or you playing new video game cartridges or even both." Nitroplus can't help but mention it to Yuu. "And I also see you buying those books with colorless drawings in it."

"Ah! I'm not some shut-in kind of girl, sis! I also play outside and still go to school on weekdays!" Yuu retorted, feeling a bit insulted. "And the books you're saying are called manga, works of art made by great writers and artists from the Northern continent."

"O-okay okay, I'm so sorry. Hehe." Nitroplus apologetically told Yuu while kindly patting her head. "However, I may be allowing you to spend the money I'm giving you, but please pay me back by…you know, showing good grades from school?"

"Gh… I… I understand, master…. Ehehe…." Yuu muttered in a defeated tone.

"By the way, want to convert your gold into credits?" Nitroplus asked Yuu.

"Credits?"

"Yes. We deposit your gold in the bank and they in turn convert it to credits with the same monetary value as gold." Nitroplus explained to the young girl. "That way you can carry all of your money with you without the burden of carrying something like this heavy money purse of yours."

"But what will I be carrying then after it got turned into credits?" Yuu asked further like the curious child she is.

"The bank will give you a card that you can use to pay your purchased items and pay bills." Nitroplus explained further. "See the convenience?"

"Ooh~. A credit card, huh." Yuu muttered in awe.

"Luckily a lot of stores now accept credits as payment now so it will not be a hassle for you to buy stuff by no longer carrying your heavy money purse around." Nitroplus mentioned. " _And at least I'll be able to keep track of your purchase history by just looking at your account._ " She thought in her mind.

"Okay, then. But I will leave some gold behind." Yuu told Nitroplus as she opens her money purse and pulled out some gold coins to set aside.

"Anyway, once you're done, go and clean yourself up while I cook breakfast. And in a few minutes, we'll be heading straight to the marketplace to buy stuff." Nitroplus told the young girl.

"Okay~!"

* * *

And after a refreshing bath and a healthy breakfast, Yuu and her 'master' set off for the Zelwinds city marketplace. And from their place to the marketplace, it was at least a twenty minute walk but the young girl didn't mind since her excitement to buy new items for herself is overwhelming her emotions.

"Judging from the number of people going to and from the market, I bet it's packed with a lot of shoppers." Nitroplus mentioned as she observed around.

"If it's gonna be jam-packed then I hope we don't get separated." Yuu worried a little.

"Just hold on to my hand tight and you won't get lost." Nitroplus said to assure the safety of the young girl. "For now, we go to the bank."

And when they got to the bank, Yuu tried her best to endure the thirty minute long wait for their request to get transacted, wishing she had brought her handheld console with her to play while they wait. And after a fifteen minutes more worth of processing their papers, much to Yuu's growing anxiety, she finally got her own credits to spend, all stored in a single, palm sized card with the color of her choosing.

"Nine thousand credits. Hehe~." Mumbled Yuu in delight as she gaze upon her new device.

"Don't display it like that, though. It's easy for it to get stolen from you." Nitroplus warned to the young girl.

"I will~." Yuu answered back as she tucks the card in the pocket of her hoodie dress.

And finally they arrived at the marketplace. On their side where they walked in, the place was a long street filled with shops that sells many things like food, household items and even some weapons. But much to Yuu's delight, there were also a few video games stores along the way. However, just as Nitroplus said earlier, the place is packed with a lot of people, from shoppers to merchants.

"I knew it will be packed on a weekend…." Nitroplus mumbled to the young girl as she sees the number of people going in and out of the place. "Okay, we are going in with the crowd. Hold on tight."

And as they blend in with the crowd, Yuu can't help but look around the lined up stores. It wasn't her first time going there but it still excites her when they go there. And there she saw one of the video games store that often releases new titles first, making her stop on her tracks and quickly treaded towards the store, letting go of Nitroplus' hand.

"Oh no you won't."

However, Nitroplus was quick enough to get a hold of her by her hoodie.

"We can look at that store later, okay?" Nitroplus told Yuu before looking around the place. "We are gonna buy the important things first before we-"

When Nitroplus looked back at Yuu, she saw that she was holding on to nothing but Yuu's hoodie dress dangling in her hand. And when she looked further, there she saw Yuu, wearing only her white tank top and shorts, ogling at the video games store window.

"Oh for Celestia's sake, Yuu." Nitroplus sighed after getting near the young girl, handing over her hoodie. "And here I thought you don't want to get lost in this crowded place."

"Oops…my bad. Hehe~." Yuu laughed as she retrieves her hoodie back and held Nitroplus' hand as they walk further away.

And in their almost one hour of shopping, they bought some things for personal hygiene, and a week's supply of food, where some are canned goods, and most especially Yuu's favorite pudding where Nitroplus bought her a pack that contains six cups.

"Hmm…. I guess we have everything we need for now." Nitroplus concluded as she tries to remember the things they need to buy. "Wanna go and check out that store you were looking at, Yuu?"

But when she looked at the young girl, she saw Yuu looking at an open store that sells mostly school school supplies and other stationery items. She seems to be looking at a purple notebook with a lock in it.

"Oh, a notebook, huh." Nitroplus muttered as she goes near Yuu. "Need an extra notebook for school?"

"Hmm? Not really." Yuu replied, still looking at the notebook. "I might turn it into my specimen book~."

"Specimen book?" Nitroplus asked with one eyebrow raised. "For what?"

"Well I might try some bug catching with Kuroe. Hehe~." Yuu replied gleefully.

"Bug catching, huh." Nitroplus repeated before something caught her eye from within the store. "I'm just gonna look inside for a little. Be mindful of your stuff and stay where I can see you."

"Okay." Yuu simply replied as she saw Nitroplus go inside the store.

"That notebook will be yours for two hundred and fifty gold pieces, little one." Said a kindly old man who seems to be the owner of the store.

"Two hundred and fifty?" Yuu repeated. "Do you accept credits?"

"Yes we do. We accept the new monetary system here in my humble store." Replied the old man.

" _Hmm…let me try to haggle a bit here. The price is a bit steep for a notebook._ " Yuu carefully thought in her mind, feeling a bit mischievous. "Mister, how about for two hundred credits?"

"That's a bit too low, I'm afraid." Answered the old shop owner.

"But that's all I can offer, mister. Two hundred credits." Yuu insisted.

"Hahahaha. How about two hundred and thirty credits?" The shop owner offered.

"Two hundred and ten credits." Yuu counter offered before waving her credits card at the shop owner. "I have the credits right here~."

"Hahahaha. The way you haggle is quite something, little girl." Said the old shop owner admirably.

"Well I always see my sister haggle a lot when buying stuff. So why can't I do it?" Yuu replied nonchalantly.

"Gh… Y-yuu…. At least call it bargaining…." Mumbled Nitroplus embarrassingly after hearing what Yuu just said.

"Hahahaha. Okay then, two hundred credits it is for being quite a cheeky girl." Said the old shop owner, finally agreeing to Yuu's first offer.

"Yaaay~! I did a successful bargaining~!" Yuu cheered in victory with her arms up high.

However….

"Heh…."

"?! Hey!" Yuu cried out as a man in pirate-looking clothes snatched away her card and ran off. "Get back here with my money card, you thief!" She then chased after the man.

"Y-yuu!"

Unable to react quickly, Nitroplus ran outside the store to follow Yuu. But as she got out, Yuu was no longer within her sights amidst the sea of people around the marketplace. "Tch…that girl. Sir, please look after our groceries for a while. I'm going after my sister." She told the old shop owner before running towards the direction where she saw Yuu ran off.

* * *

After a few minutes of running away, the thief settled down on an empty alleyway in-between shops and houses.

"Hehe….whew. I managed to lose the little tyke." Muttered the pirate-looking thief as he catches his breath. "I dunno how much that brat have on this here card but it's still easy money. Hehe-"

"GIVE THAT BACK, YOU STINKING THIEF!"

"Wha-?!"

Out of nowhere, Yuu came from above the thief and grappled him.

"What the heck?!" Cursed the thief in surprise as he tries to shake Yuu off his back.

"That's my hard earned money! Give it back or I'll pound on you until you give it back!" Yuu demanded as she punches the thief on the head as she tries her best to pry her card away from the thief's hand.

"Why you little…!" Yelled the thief before pulling out a dagger from his side pocket. "Just because you're a kid doesn't mean I can't hurt you bad!" He then stabbed Yuu on the side of her abdomen.

"Aaaaahh!"

"NOOOO! YUUUU!"

When the thief looked to see who yelled, not minding that Yuu is still hanging on his back, he saw Nitroplus running towards him, flaming sword in hand and her face is full of rage.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT HER!"

"That…is painfully pointy, you thief!"

Unexpected by the thief, with one full swing upwards of both her arms, Yuu gave the thief's head her hardest pound ever using her rolled up fists. And in an instant, the thief fell unconscious on the cold pavement, with Yuu still standing on her feet.

As for Nitroplus, she was perplexed that Yuu was able to apprehend the thief and even managed to knock him out cold with unbelievable strength. But then she remembered that the thief managed to hurt the young girl.

"Yuu!"

"Eh? Oh master~!" Yuu greeted to Nitroplus. "Look! I got my card back~!"

"Don't move…!" Nitroplus told Yuu as she kneels down in front of the girl to check her wound, thinking that it may be due to adrenaline that Yuu wasn't still feeling her stabbed side and the reason she's still able to stand up after getting stabbed.

There Nitroplus saw where the knife went through, tearing through Yuu's clothes. But to her surprise, there was no stab wound on her side, not even a stain of blood or scratch from the knife was there.

"But…I saw you got stabbed." Nitroplus said, feeling perplexed even more.

"Well I only felt that I got pricked by something on my side. I didn't expected it to be a knife. Hehe~." Yuu said with a humor.

"I don't know how you got out of that unscathed but…" Started Nitroplus before giving Yuu a tight and warm hug. "… I'm glad you're safe. That's all that matters to me."

"Hehe~."

* * *

After handing over the thief to the authorities, Yuu and Nitroplus returned to the store where they left their goods behind. There they paid for Yuu's notebook before proceeding to the video games store for Yuu to buy he new video game. And after completing their shopping, they returned back to their apartment, although still shaken about what just happened.

And even as they are having lunch, where they were having North continent tonkatsu which is deep fried pork cutlets with egg and rice, Nitroplus can't still shake the thought of Yuu coming out unharmed after that incident. Because for her, this wasn't the first time Yuu got out of an incident unscathed.

" _She survived a fall from a four story building with only bruises before and now this?_ " Nitroplus thought in her mind as she eats lunch slowly. " _Just what does Yuu have that makes her…immune to any serious injuries? Is she really invulnerable or something?_ "

"Uh…you okay, master?" Yuu asked in concern as she noticed Nitroplus' slow eating while looking into nothingness.

"Oh…uh yeah. I was just deep in thought, that's all." Nitroplus replied before resuming to eat.

"Is it about earlier?" Yuu asked further while she eats.

"Uh…yeah. Do please be careful more from now on, okay?" Nitroplus told Yuu as she eats. "But I am really glad that you are safe."

"Hehe~. Yeah, I'm glad too." Yuu said in agreement. "I also hope that you don't have any missions today, sis. So that we can play the new games I bought on our handhelds~."

"Hmhm. I hope so too, Yuu." Nitroplus said as she eats more actively this time. "I really could use a break from receiving missions from the general."

However as they eat, they received a knock on their apartment door. And before Nitroplus could answer it, some sort of envelope slid from the other side of the door and into their room. And that item is all too familiar to Nitroplus. After seeing what was inside the envelope, Nitroplus looked at Yuu for a moment with a less than amused expression before speaking….

"I guess… I spoke too soon."

To be continued….


	4. Chapter 3 - The Castaways

Chapter Three – The Castaways

 **Ten years ago….**

It was almost evening now when Sherman and Marianna returned to their home from the Western continent after, as Marianna often pointed out, conditionally assisted the CPU of Leanbox to victory after almost getting defeated by the leader of ASIC, Magic.

"If only you hadn't pulled me away from there, I would have taken advantage of the situation and take on Vert myself." Marianna begrudgingly muttered as she and Sherman walk back together towards the Main Hall of Dorfa.

"Please set aside your petty grudge for now, Marianna." Sherman told his companion calmly. "It wouldn't be quite a noble act to take advantage on the badly weakened. For now, what is important is that the threat to the peace and stability of this world has finally been defeated."

"Don't you dare call it petty grudge after all I've been through…!" Marianna hissed at Sherman angrily as she stopped on her tracks after feeling like Sherman has insulted her. "We only got caught in to this battle because of you. You only think about yourself and your own desires in destroying all evil!"

"I could say the same thing to you, Marianna." Sherman calmly told Marianna as he give the girl a glance. "All you think about is getting revenge on the person who left you for dead, isn't it? Be thankful that we got involved in their strife. Because of that, you were finally able to meet the person whom you have a grudge with."

"Tch…."

And as they have reached the city proper without arguing with each other any further, they noticed that some people are huddled together and talking either quietly or cautiously. Sherman also noticed some of the city's guards running towards the shoreline where the city's fishermen dock their boats.

"Hmm…. I wonder what all the fuss is about?" Marianna asked Sherman.

"No idea." Sherman replied. "But judging from the fact that the general hasn't communicated with us yet means that this is no threat."

"But whatever it is, it seemed to have alarmed some of the guards and residents." Marianna deduced while observing those around them. She then approached a small group of people who are still busy talking to each other. "Uhm, excuse me. May I ask what is all the commotion about?"

"Oh, it's lady Marianna." Said one male Dorfa resident.

"Well, my lady, some people are saying that a burning body of a person got washed on shore just now." Answered a woman who seemed to be a vendor of one of the shops nearby.

"A…burning body?" Marianna repeated in confusion.

"That's right, my lady." Said the man from earlier. "Isn't it weird that after getting washed over by the sea, the body is still burning?"

"Hmm…. I think we should go check, Marianna." Sherman told his companion calmly.

"Sure. I wanna see for myself if what they claim is true." Marianna agreed. "If it's still burning even though it came from the sea, then that means it could be enchanted."

"Enchanted by fire elemental magic, perhaps." Sherman commented to Marianna's deduction. "Let's go, then."

"Okay."

When they got to the rumored shoreline, there they saw a couple of city guards standing along with some shoreline residents and some other eavesdropping people from the city.

"S-sir Sherman, and Lady Marianna…." Muttered one of the guards after seeing Sherman and Marianna approaching.

"Whoa…. It's Dorfa's duo of elite Fencers." Muttered another city guard.

"We appreciate the flattery, good sirs. But I would like to know what is all this commotion about?" Sherman said in a business-like manner.

"Well, sir…"

As the guards stand aside to let Sherman and Marianna through, there Sherman saw the source of all the commotion. From afar, he can see a body of an unknown person engulfed in hot flames all over the body. Unable to identify the burning body properly, Sherman got closer to it. And when he got closer, Sherman couldn't still recognize the burning person but could only make out the body's outline. But then, he realized something about the burning body.

"There's two of them…." Sherman muttered calmly.

"What do you mean?" Marianna asked before coming in close to where Sherman is standing. And when she got near though, she got her answer after getting a better look at the burning body.

There, Marianna could make out the outline of a woman from within the angry flames. What caught her attention was that the woman seems to be hugging something very tightly. But Marianna can't properly make out what it looked like due to the bright flames burning up more angrily.

"If you can't make out what it looks like, then I will tell you what is with this woman." Sherman told Marianna. "She's hugging a child. A toddler, to be exact."

"Are- are you serious?" Said a perplexed Marianna.

"Yes. But there is a peculiar thing, however." Sherman deduced before kneeling down beside the burning body. "The woman and the child, they are still alive."

"What?" Asked Marianna who is confused even more now.

"H-how can they still be alive, sir?" Asked one of the guards who overheard their conversation.

"Remember what you said about it being enchanted, Marianna?" Sherman asked Marianna instead of directly answering her confused question.

"Well, yes but-" Marianna started before finally realizing what Sherman meant. "So she and the child are not really burning…. She just covered herself with protective flames."

"Correct." Sherman replied with his usual calm demeanor. "Well if it wasn't an enchanted flame, it would have been extinguished by the sea now, right?" He added with a tinge of sarcasm.

"W-way to state the obvious…." Marianna said, trying her best not to show irritation. "So, how do you know that she is still alive?"

"I can still sense some life energy in them." Sherman answered. "However, the woman's life energy seems to be weakening slowly. She must be badly hurt already after casting her protective flames. We must find a way to extinguish her flames so that we can give them treatment."

"I bet you only used Ryushin's ability to read human vital signs there." Marianna pointed out mockingly. "So, how do we get through her protection?"

"Simple. We ask her Fury that is protecting it's owner." Sherman said before pointing at what seems to look like a sword being held tight by the woman in her hand while tightly embracing the toddler in he arms.

"I didn't noticed that…." Marianna mumbled in her breath.

"Now then…." Sherman said before rolling up the sleeves of his white jacket and slowly but calmly started to put his hand near the raging flames.

"Are you seriously going to put your hand in there?!" Marianna said in alarm.

"Well I have to touch the Fury to let it know that we are not here to harm its owner. That we are here to help its owner and the child with her." Sherman explained calmly. "Just keep this healing potion ready once I'm done, Marianna." He added before pulling out a small glass vial with a cork that contains a clear green liquid. He then handed it over to Marianna.

"O-okay."

"Now then…." Sherman muttered once again before slowly putting his hand in the flame. Once his hand made contact with the flames, it immediately made an uncomfortable, sizzling sound.

"I don't know why but I can't stomach seeing your hand get roasted in there…." Marianna said after looking away.

"One…gh…has to endure sometimes…. Ehehe…." Sherman muttered. It is obvious in his face that he's really trying his best to endure the burning pain as he finally got his hand to touch the sword in the woman's hand.

As for Marianna, she still refuses to look at what Sherman is doing as she really find it quite disturbing to see his hand get burned from within the flames.

" _Oh_ _brave Fury, I speak to you directly from my mind and heart._ " Sherman thought in his mind as he communicates with the Fury. " _We assure to you that we are only here to help your master and the child she is with._ "

However, it seemed that all the Fury did was ignite it's flames even more, giving Sherman an even more painful burning sensation in his hand.

" _Burn my hand if you like. I don't mind._ " Sherman thought as he continues to communicate with the sword, trying his best to endure the pain and making sure that the sword feels that he really meant no harm to the woman and the child. " _But your master is slowly getting weaker and weaker as time passes. She needs medical attention and we can provide that for her and the child. So please, trust us. We meant no harm to your beloved master._ "

At first, the Fury seems to be hesitant to what Sherman has told to it as it continues to ignite the protective flames surrounding the woman and the child. But slowly, it seems to be extinguishing it's flames now, proof that Sherman has finally got the trust of the Fury.

" _Thank you. We will take it from here._ " Sherman told the Fury through his mind. "We will tak _e good care of your master and the child._ "

And finally after Sherman's negotiations with it, the Fury has completely extinguished the protective flames surrounding its master.

"H-hey. I know her." Marianna told Sherman after seeing who the burning woman was.

"So do I. But only in looks, though." Sherman replied before raising his badly burnt hand away from the Fury. "But Marianna, please pour the potion in my injured hand now. It's really painful now, just so you know."

"Okay. Hold it up straight." Marianna instructed as she opens the small glass vial that contains the healing herbs potion. "But why not just drink it so as to absorb the entire content than just pouring it directly into the wound, which could waste some of the potion?"

"It would take a while before the potion takes effect when I consume it, though." Sherman said as his reason.

"Hmm. I think you're just reasoning that because you don't like the bitter taste of the potion." Marianna told Sherman as she gently pours the watery contents of the potion bottle directly to his burn wounds. But Sherman only laughed off Marianna's sly remark. And as the potion pours into Sherman's burnt hand, his injury shows signs of immediate healing thanks to the effect of healing herbs from the potion.

"So…it's miss Nitroplus, huh." Marianna said, mentioning the woman's name as she continues to gently pour the potion in Sherman's injured hand.

"So you know her name, huh." Sherman mentioned.

"Yes, but it could just be an alias. She's the girl who fought against the felon named Magic and she almost got cut clean in half by the felon." Marianna recalls, stating that this isn't the first time Nitroplus got into a near death experience. "As for the little girl in her arms, I think she's with Vert."

"I see." Sherman muttered in his breath. But to his relief though, after the potion bottle got emptied by Marianna, his burnt hand has fully healed. "Thank you."

"Sure." Marianna replied casually. "What do we do with her and the little girl now?"

"Hmm…. You there, sir guard, please get the attention of our local hospital and bring in some medical personnel here quickly." Sherman ordered to one of the guards.

"Yes, sir." The guard replied before running off towards the city proper to get some help from the hospital.

"But…she's also a FL-virus carrier, right?" Marianna curiously asked Sherman. "So a hospital isn't necessarily needed here, correct?"

"I am the one who administered the virus on to her, after all, so I know." Sherman admitted quietly to her as he gets close to the unconscious Nitroplus to remove the unconscious little girl off her arms gently before carrying the little girl in his arms. "The medical personnel I called for will look after the poor little girl, Marianna." He then handed the little girl over to Marianna, who is a bit reluctant at first but then gave in and carried the unconscious, little purple haired girl in her arms.

"But she seems to be uninjured." Marianna mentioned as she looks at the unconscious little girl's body to look for any signs of injuries. "She's really uninjured. Not even a scratch."

"If so, then that is good to hear." Sherman said in relief. "That means miss Nitroplus, or whatever her name is, did an excellent job in protecting the little one. However, I can't say the same thing for her." He indicated at the unconscious Nitroplus.

"She looks like she's at deaths door with those injuries." Marianna can't help but mention.

"Miss Nitroplus is injured almost everywhere in her body." Sherman pointed out. "But what concerns me more is her head injury. And you of course know that the head should not be damaged especially for us FL-virus carrier."

"I am…aware of that…." Marianna said bitterly.

"Well, I hope we aren't too late to use this on her." Sherman said before pulling out another glass vial of healing herb potion from his pocket. And after he uncorked the vial, he gently raised Nitroplus' head and slowly poured the potion into her agape mouth.

After emptying the contents of the potion bottle, they quietly observed Nitroplus to see if the effects of the healing herbs in the potion will still work on her. But in just almost a minute after he administered the potion, Nitroplus' body started healing itself.

"Well, again that's quite reassuring. Even her head injury has mended itself." Sherman breathed out in relief. "Now all we have to do is wait for the medical personnel to arrive to give them proper resting places."

"And what are we going to do with them after they have recovered?" Marianna asked Sherman curiously.

"We let them go home, of course." Sherman answered casually. "But it is tempting to make a Fencer such as miss Nitroplus here to ally with Dorfa and fight for its cause. She would prove to be quite the significant addition to our forces."

"Hmm…. Then let her go back once she recovers." Marianna told Sherman. "But as for this little girl, she will stay here."

"Stay? But what if she looks for the little girl?" Sherman asked casually.

"Then I will personally tell miss Nitroplus that she had failed to save the little girl and was already dead even before she could have saved her." Marianna said coldly. "If this little girl really is closely affiliated with Vert, then I will not let them meet again."

"So this is your way of getting back at the CPU, huh…." Sherman muttered calmly.

"I know how much Vert loves little children, especially little girls." Marianna mentioned before giving off a cold smile. "If she finds out that this little girl has perished under her protection, it will definitely crush her heart. But that alone isn't enough for me."

"What more are you plotting to do with the little girl then?" Sherman asked further.

"Hmhm. Who knows. Given the right amount of time, I might even use the little girl against Vert…." Marianna replied in a cruel manner as she gently caresses the little girl's head.

"How very cruel of you, Marianna." Sherman said but the tone and expression he's giving seems to be not against Marianna's plot. In fact, he was just smiling at her like usual. "But I do hope that you aren't plotting anything bad on the little girl."

"Hmhm. Oh she'll live a fruitful life, that I can give." Marianna said, still in her scheming mood.

"You'll do anything just to make the CPU of Leanbox suffer, huh." Sherman said while still remaining calm and composed.

"Anything to make her suffer, Sherman…." Marianna muttered with a cruel expression.

"Well just don't let it overshadow your duties to Dorfa, Marianna." Sherman reminded her. "I did noticed that your thirst for vengeance has been fueled once more after meeting the CPU in an undesirable place."

"Of course. Dorfa's cause is most important to me." Marianna assured to Sherman.

" _But if I can get my vengeance along with fulfilling my duties to Dorfa, the better. Hmhmhm~_ " She thought in her mind as the medical personnel arrived at that moment.

To be continued….


	5. Chapter 4 - Burning Revival

Chapter Four – Burning Revival

 **A continuation of the story from ten years ago….**

A week has passed since two castaways got washed ashore on the beach near the city of Dorfa. And after getting a few more treatments, the purple haired little girl was taken to the orphanage so that she could be properly taken care of while, unfortunately, Nitroplus remained unconscious in a hospital bed at the city's local hospital. And Sherman has a theory as to why Nitroplus hasn't woken up yet for a week now.

"I think her brain got damaged already even before we were able to administer the potion on to her." Sherman concluded as he and Marianna walk along the city sidewalk as they are about to do the orders given to both of them: eliminate some ASIC remnants that have snuck themselves inside the East continent after getting defeated in the war.

"You think so?" Marianna asked to her companion.

"Well I already assumed that would be the case after seeing that much amount of blood flowing from her head when we found her." Sherman replied as he smiles and gently waved at a passerby who greeted him along the way. "I expect the deprivation of oxygen in her brain is the reason. I just wonder if she'll wake up still as a sane person or a mindless undead that grows hungry for raw flesh."

"So in the end, we will have to kill her, huh." Marianna commented as she imagined Nitroplus thrashing around like a wild predator who is hungry for her next prey, biting anyone in her way. But the thought only made her uncomfortable and stopped thinking about it immediately. "I don't want to end up like that."

"Hahahaha. Well just take good care of yourself and you'll be fine." Sherman said with a reassuring tone.

"Anyway, let's just focus with the orders given to us for now." Marianna strictly told Sherman. "How dare those filthy ASIC trash to set foot on Dorfa…."

"Did they tell where those stragglers have hidden themselves?" Sherman asked.

"By the craggy mountainside, according to the scout." Marianna answered. "Probably hiding in some caves like pests that they are."

"Understood then. We will dispose of them before they can even cause any harm here at Dorfa."

"By the way, back to the topic about Nitroplus, when will you…end her misery?" Marianna asked curiously.

"If she still hasn't woken up by tomorrow or if she has woken up but is no longer her living self, I will personally go to her hospital room end her misery there." Sherman said with a calm but serious voice. "And I will simply do it by ordering Ryushin to fire a small beam of light on her head just enough to halt all of her nerve functions."

"I see…."

And without saying anything more about the still unconscious Fencer, the two set off in the night to fulfill the orders that their general has given to them.

* * *

When the next day arrived, Sherman did as he promised and went to the local hospital alone to make a final observation at Nitroplus' condition. Sadly, Nitroplus still remained unconscious up until now. Giving off a sigh, Sherman then looked at the crimson sword leaning on the bed side table.

"How unfortunate that this has to happen to your beloved master, little fairy." Sherman muttered to the sword. "But I am sure that she has proven herself as a very talented and noble swordswoman with you by her side."

However, the sword only remained idle and unresponsive just like it's master. So with this, Sherman proceeded to tell the sword his intention.

"Sadly, your master seems to have reached her…limits." Sherman told the crimson sword. "She got herself badly injured, resulting in her current condition. And if I don't take action, the virus within her will take control of her body and turn her into an…" He paused for a moment to think of a better word to use that will better describe what Nitroplus will become if the FL-virus takes over her body. "…undesirable entity. An entity that knows nothing but to feed on any living being. I know that you don't want your partner to turn into that, correct?"

But Nitroplus' sword remained unresponsive and still.

And suddenly, Ryushin materialized right beside Sherman, ready to execute whatever command Sherman gives to him.

"What is the status of the patient's condition, Ryushin?" Sherman asked his Fury.

" _Scanning subject's condition._ " Ryushin said in his usual robotic tone. " _Vital signs below normal status; health continously deteriorating._ "

"I see." Sherman then turned back to the sword to talk.

"We have done everything we could to help your master fully recover." Sherman told the crimson sword. "But as you can see, her condition is worsening. And as this keeps up, the virus' take over will be complete, and stopping her would be quite difficult to do once she sets on a rampage."

But the sword still remained unresponsive. However, Sherman could feel that it's sort of emitting a cautious aura, as if it already has a hunch of what Sherman intends to do.

"Little fairy within the Fury, believe me, this is the only way to save your master." Sherman said, thinking that the Fury already knows what he is going to commit. "Your master must be put to rest. That is her only salvation from turning into an undead devourer of the living."

However, unexpected by Sherman, the sword suddenly burst into flames so strong that it immediately set half of the hospital room on fire. Sherman covered himself using his arms but Ryushin stepped in front and covered him from the raging flames.

From there, employees of the hospital who saw the burning room immediately scrambled in panic to either help stop the fire from spreading or to save the other patients of nearby rooms from getting burnt by the raging fire.

"Tch….This is not really what I was expecting for a reaction from you." Sherman muttered, referring to the crimson sword as he thinks of a way to stop the fire from spreading more. But when he took a glance at Nitroplus, Sherman saw her body covered in flames as well now along with her bed. It's as if the Fury is doing the job of ending Nitroplus instead of letting Sherman do it.

"Little fairy, I know you're grieving. You don't want to lose your master, I understand it…!" Sherman said as he continues to protect himself from the raging flames. "But you don't have to burn the entire hospital down…! Accept the fact that she is gone…! Don't let her turn into a being that will inflict harm unto innocent people…!"

But the Fury continues to emit its flames even stronger as it encapsulates Nitroplus with its raging fire.

However….

" _Scanning subject…; Vital signs stabilizing. Multiple organs returning to normal functionality._ " Ryushin suddenly said, surprising Sherman.

"Wh-what did you say, Ryushin?" Said a baffled Sherman.

" _Vital signs of subject named Nitroplus is stabilizing and is returning to optimal functionality._ " Ryushin told Sherman.

"What about brain activity, Ryushin?" Sherman asked further as the blazing heat is making him sweat profusely.

" _Scanning…._ "

But before Ryushin could answer Sherman's last question, he saw something move from within the burning bed.

"?!"

There Sherman saw Nitroplus' burning body slowly move and stand up. It baffled him more because how could she still stand up if her body is burning from the hot flames of her own Fury.

"Unless…." Sherman muttered before realizing what it meant. "The Fury is protecting her. It's using its protective flames on her…!"

" _Brain activity of subject is at abnormal level. Brain activity is rated only at twenty five percent functionality._ " Ryushin finally reported to his master.

"That is not much activity in there…." Sherman muttered. "She's definitely not normal anymore…. Maybe feral now…."

Sherman then transformed Ryushin into his huge mechanical sword before assuming a fighting stance.

" _She has definitely turned into an undead feral being._ " Sherman thought in his mind. " _It would be even worse if she can still utilize her Fury even in her undead state. Although I can defeat her, it would be difficult since she's a fire element user. This is bad._ "

Then all of a sudden….

" _Subject's brain activity normalizing._ " Ryushin suddenly announced out of the blue.

"Wh-what?!"

Then suddenly, like a strong gust of wind blew past the place, the fire got extinguished almost immediately. And there Sherman can see Nitroplus standing with a blank stare in her eyes and not even a sign that she got burned anywhere even on her hospital gown.

" _Subject Nitroplus' vital signs all normal and stable._ " Ryushin said.

"What…just happened…?" Sherman muttered in confusion as he lowers his sword down.

And suddenly, Nitroplus blinked, and then blinked some more until her blank eyes turned into that which contains life. She then started moving her head as she looks around, confusion clearly in her face. As Nitroplus looks around, her gaze met Sherman who was still standing there, also confused as to what transpired in front of him.

"She's…she's recovered…?" Sherman muttered in his breath, still badly confused.

Nitroplus then turned to his location while also wearing a confused expression on her face before speaking for the first time since she got washed ashore on the Eastern continent.

"Who…who are you…?"

To be continued….


	6. Chapter 5 - The Amnesiac Fencer

Chapter Five – The Amnesiac Fencer

News has spread about the sudden fire that erupted in one of the rooms at the local hospital, almost damaging the neighboring rooms. Fortunately though, before it could even spread, it was miraculously extinguished in an instant for no reason. But the hospital did gave the credit to Sherman, even though he casually denies extinguishing the fire by himself.

As for the recently recovered Nitroplus, she was transferred to another room for further examinations. And what the doctors found out was quite surprising for Sherman. Everything seems to be in order in her when the doctors examined Nitroplus. However,they did discovered something peculiar from her.

"What? She has amnesia?" Marianna said, baffled while holding on to a cup of tea as she is about to take a sip from the teacup as she and Sherman are taking a break at a café just near the main hall of Dorfa.

"That is correct." Sherman answered. "And I believe it has to do with her head injuries."

"But didn't the medicine kicked in on her after you applied it?" Marianna asked further before finally sipping some tea from her cup.

"That is the mystery behind the FL-virus, isn't it?" Sherman replied almost comically. "It can repair every body part that has received damage on its host except for the brain. And the blood clotting in miss Nitroplus' brain caused enough damage that it inflicted memory loss on her. Fortunately for her though, it wasn't so severe enough to completely destroy her brain."

"I see now." Marianna muttered before pausing for a moment, thinking about her own condition before finishing her tea in one gulp. "Thank you for the food."

"Before you leave, I want to ask how's the little girl doing at the orphanage?" Sherman asked Marianna as she is about to stand up and leave.

"The little girl? Well, she's doing fine physically. Although she's been crying a lot after seeing a lot of unfamiliar faces. They were able to calm the little girl down after feeding her some pudding. But then afterwards, she resumed crying, looking for certain people."

"She must be looking for lady Vert." Sherman concluded.

"Yeah. She keeps saying 'beru' many times." Marianna said a bit bitterly. "And a few other names as well that she can barely pronounce."

"I see. Marianna, can you please bring the little one to the hospital later?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Well it might help put the little girl at ease after seeing someone familiar to her." Sherman explained. "It might also help our amnesiac Fencer in refreshing her memories."

"Are you sure about this, Sherman?" Asked Marianna a bit cautiously.

"I am fully aware of what you intend to do with the child, Marianna. But I advise not to do so anymore." Sherman advised Marianna.

"Wh-what do you mean by that?"

"Your message was clear last time. You intend to use the little girl for your revenge against Lady Vert." Sherman said with a straightforward look. "Please don't use children in your pursuit of vengeance, especially the little girl that is close to lady Vert. I'm sure she's already devastated right now after seeing that the little girl is no longer with her."

"Never expected a lecture coming from you…." Marianna hissed at Sherman. "Fine. I'll bring the little one later."

"Actually, I want you to pick her up right now." Sherman said as a request.

"Huh?"

"Because I am on my way to the hospital to check on our amnesiac fencer right now." Sherman told Marianna.

"I just noticed that you really keep an eye on her." Marianna said suspiciously. "Why is that?"

Sherman paused for a moment while looking at Marianna before answering her question. "I am actually planning on recruiting her in being a part of Dorfa's defense force once she has recovered. Now that we know that she has amnesia, it might be more easy to recruit her for our cause."

"And why do I have to bring the little girl if you don't plan on making her recover memories?" Marianna wondered.

"Well I just want to put the little girl at ease, actually." Sherman answered straightforwardly.

"So you're just concerned with the child, then."

"Yes. I am indeed concerned. Hehehe."

* * *

Meanwhile at the hospital where the amnesiac Nitroplus is still confined in one of its rooms….

"….."

She is just staring at her own palms while sitting upright on her sick bed in one of the patients room.

"Why can't I…remember anything?" Nitroplus questioned herself. "What's my name? Where am I? What happened…? I can't…really remember anything…."

" _So you really can't remember anything, huh lady Nitro?_ "

"?! Huh? Who…who talked?" Nitroplus muttered in surprise as she looked around to see who just communicated with her.

" _Over here, lady Nitro._ "

"Huh? Where? And are you calling me lady Nitro? Is that my name? Huh? Where are you, dang it…!" Nitroplus rapidly said at once as she finds it hard to look for the one talking to her.

" _Uh…the sword leaning on the bed side drawer, my lady…._ "

"Huh? Sword?" Nitroplus repeated before looking at her right. And there she found a sword with a long, crimson colored blade with a single edge. "You're…the one talking to me?"

" _Yes. But only telepathically, lady Nitro._ " Said the sword.

"Huh? But…who- or more like, what are you?" Nitroplus asked out of extreme confusion.

" _I am your true, noble blade my lady._ " The sword mentioned. " _A Fury that you possessed on your own. And I am the one that lets you unleash your noblest flames that burns all evil~!_ "

"Wh-whoa…. That is quite…an interesting feat." Nitroplus muttered, unable to believe that a sword is talking to her through her mind. "Gh…" Although it seems to be giving her quite a headache.

"M-my lady…!" the sword said in worry as it saw Nitroplus hold her head due to the sudden attack of a headache.

"J-just a headache…." Nitroplus told the sword. "Anyway, since you're a talking sword, I bet I gave you a name, huh…."

" _Yeah, you awkwardly gave me a name, alright._ " Said the sword a bit sarcastic.

"Eh…? Wh-what do you mean…?" Nitroplus asked further while enduring the pain in her head.

" _But our telepathic communication is giving you a headache, lady Nitro._ " The sword said in worry. " _Maybe we should get to recall things later once you've fully recovered._ "

"N-no…. I want to know things right now…." Nitroplus insisted. "I can't remember anything…. And it's making me anxious…. So please, tell me more sword."

" _Then…I will, lady Nitroplus._ " Said the sword, although a bit reluctant. " _Well first off, you called me Raw Meat._ "

"Raw…meat?" Nitroplus repeated in confusion.

" _Yes. You named me that and your reason is because my blade reminds you of fresh meat._ " Said Rawmeat, a bit upset at that.

"I… I see…." Nitroplus muttered, still a bit enduring the pain in her head. "Ghh…the more we communicate about things, the more stuff flashes in my mind…. And it's hurting my head more…."

" _Then we shouldn't continue any further until you've fully recovered, my lady._ " Rawmeat mentioned out of worry.

"So… is that my name…? Nitroplus?" Nitroplus asked, still clutching on to he head.

" _Well that's what you want others to call you, lady Nitro._ " Rawmeat told her. " _But you do have an actual name, though. And you only allowed miss Ame to call you that._ "

"Ame…? Who-?"

But before she could even begin to ask, Nitroplus got a sudden flash of memory in her head about a silver haired girl talking to her.

"Gh… gaaaah! My head…!" Nitroplus shouted in pain as she holds on to he head. "Why does it hurt if memories come flashing in my mind…. And yet, I still can't remember anything….what really happened to me?"

But before Rawmeat could answer, the door of Nitroplus' hospital room door opened. And there enters Sherman along with Marianna who is carrying a quiet toddler in her arms.

"Gh…a lot of people are thinking that we're like a couple while holding this child. So embarrassing…." Marianna mumbled as she goes in, blushing.

"Ahaha. Pay no mind to them. They are free to think of whatever they like." Sherman replied casually.

"Easy for you to say…."

"Oh. She's awake. Good to see." Sherman mentioned after seeing Nitroplus sitting on her bed.

"Chie…~?"

"Eh?" Breathed out Nitroplus after hearing a little girl's small voice.

"Oh. So the little one knows her." Sherman mentioned after seeing the little girl looking at Nitroplus.

"Chie…Chie…~" Muttered little Yuu after seeing Nitroplus, with her tiny arms stretched out as if she wants to get to Nitroplus.

"That…little girl…." Mumbled Nitroplus before getting struck again by another flash of memory, giving he another painful headache. "Arrrgh! Gaaaah!"

"What's happening to her?" Marianna suddenly asked in alarm.

"No idea." Sherman replied. "Must be her mind trying to recollect memories but is unable to, giving her a headache, I guess."

"Lady Nitro, that little girl is miss Yuu!" Rawmeat told Nitroplus telepathically.

"Gh…Y-yuu…?" Nitroplus mumbled trying to look at the little girl as he vision starts to blur due to the headache. "Who is…?"

" _Yeah. Uh…she's your little sister! Yeah, that's it!_ " Rawmeat suddenly blurted out. " _Gh…what did I just said…? I only wanted to give her an easy explanation…._ " Rawmeat thought in her mind.

"M-my…sister…?" Nitroplus muttered while still looking at the little girl.

"Huh? Sister?" Marianna said in surprise.

"So, they are actually relatives." Sherman concluded after hearing Nitroplus.

"I…don't know…." Mumbled Nitroplus as her headache slowly subsides. "But something inside my mind…said so…."

"I see." Sherman said calmly. "Hmhm. No wonder the little girl wants to get to you. Marianna, please hand her to miss Nitroplus. She must be longing for her sister even though miss Nitroplus doesn't remember her so much."

"Hmm." Marianna breathed out before gently handing over little Yuu to Nitroplus.

"Chie…~" Little Yuu cheerfully called Nitroplus before slowly crawling closer to her.

"Oh…uh…hey there, little one." Nitroplus calmly said before gently patting the little girl on the head, in which the girl seemed to like.

"See, Marianna? The little girl is more at ease with miss Nitroplus around." Sherman said to his companion. But Marianna only gave him a silent reply by nodding slightly.

"Chie…~"

"Why chie, though…?" Nitroplus wondered while still patting little Yuu on the head gently as it seems to ease the tension in her head.

" _Well, my lady, your actual name is Sachika Kibagahara._ " Rawmeat explained. " _And she must have been hearing lady Ame call you Sachie and is mimicking her._ "

"I see…." Nitroplus muttered while looking at the little girl who is now busy playing her blanket.

" _Would you prefer them to call you by your original name, my lady?_ " Rawmeat asked politely.

Nitroplus paused for a moment while looking at the playing girl on her lap, her headache finally subsided.

"Nah. I think Nitroplus sounds cooler."

To be continued….


	7. Chapter 6 - Reigniting the Flames

Chapter 6 – Reigniting the Flames

Another week has passed before the local hospital of Dorfa finally decided that Nitroplus is fully fit and well and was discharged from the hospital despite not being able to recollect any memories of her original life. For now, she currently stays at an apartment provided by Sherman. Although what troubled the amnesiac fencer is that she has nowhere to go with her current condition. Sherman took notice of that, however, and went on to the general of Dorfa city to suggest that the girl is to stay at the city and live there under the support of the government until she is able to sustain her own living. Nitroplus should, however, serve Dorfa as one of its defense forces being that she is a Fencer with great capabilities.

"But given that she has no memories whatsoever, how can we assure that the girl will be able to perform like she used to as you have described her to be?" General Hanagata asked Sherman in a business like manner.

"I have confidence that I am able to guide her back into her true capabilities despite her having amnesia, general." Sherman replied calmly.

"And how are you to do that?" the general asked further.

"Simple." Sherman started. "There is another way for a person with amnesia to be able to remember what he or she does. If miss Nitroplus did truly fought many battles before alongside what I have witnessed during the war at the Western continent, then I believe she can still perform the same today despite the memory loss. In short, what her brain can't remember, her body can still remember her movements during battle."

"Hmm. You are referring to muscle memory, correct?" General Hanagata wondered, suddenly a bit of interest on the subject is evident in his voice.

"That is correct, general. If I put her in a situation where she is in danger while in possession of her beloved Fury, I might be able to prove my theory about her muscle memory."

"I see. But remember this, Sherman, if the girl failed to prove what you just said within a year, she will no longer receive any support from us and that she will pay them back to us twofold by working as one of our watchers, you hear." General Hanagata warned Sherman. "What I don't like is wasting our resources on something fruitless."

"Why I'd even help her with the pay if she ever failed to perform like what I've said, general." Sherman confidently said. "I assure to you that once I have confirmed my theory about her muscle memory, she will be an invaluable addition to Dorfa's cause in rising to power."

"You really are that confident with her, I see."

"When Ryushin conversed with her sword as I have instructed, I was informed that miss Nitroplus was able to defeat one of the four felons of ASIC alone while on board a burning ship, which I believe where she came from before getting washed ashore here along with the little girl." Sherman mentioned. "So if was able to defeat such formidable enemy singlehandedly and at the same time save a toddler, then we may have a prized Fencer here that we only need to unlock her true skills from her amnesia."

"Very well, Sherman. Do it as you see fit." The general finally decided. "You have a year to return the girl back into fighting condition. Fail, and you know the consequences."

"Understood, general Hanagata."

"You may take your leave now."

And after giving a polite bow to the general, Sherman left the general's office and headed out. However, while he walks along the corridor, he was met by someone waiting by the main entrance of the Hall.

"Surely you really don't plan on recruiting an unknown person to our ranks, Sherman." Said the person who seems to be a middle-aged man. A man with well kept, short light brown hair and wears glasses in his eyes. He wears a white jacket with light blue colors on the shoulders, waist and collar, with gold highlights. Underneath he wears a navy blue long sleeve and he wears a red necktie. Underneath he wears a black trousers with vertical white stripes and on his feet are a pair of black, leather shoes.

"Oh, good day to you sir Paiga." Greeted Sherman to the man. "How is your wife, Setsuko, doing?"

"Well, she is doing just fine- don't change the subject…!" the man named Paiga suddenly iterated. "I am deeply concerned with your current actions, Mr. Shallancer."

"Hmhm. You need not to worry about it, sir Paiga. That is something that I shall directly deal with." Sherman assured the man. "Back to the subject about your beautiful wife, I did hear that she will give birth to your second child pretty soon, correct?"

"Why…yes she will- you did it again…!" Paiga argued. "How can we be assured that the girl who lack any memories will not cause any compromises to our great city?"

"She will not cause any compromises, that I only assure to you." Sherman replied calmly. "I will put her under my supervision until she is able to perform and live on her own along with the little girl that she is currently with."

"You sound like the girl won't be able to regain her memories any time." Paiga mentioned cautiously. "Why not just return her to her homeland or something? Wouldn't that make things easier for both the girl and our city?"

"If she recovered with her memories returned, I might have allowed that." Sherman said. "But with her current condition, I believe that returning her would only confuse the girl more. She might ask questions there more than she is here."

But Paiga seems undeterred by Sherman's statements.

"There's a deeper meaning to this, am I correct?" Paiga asked curiously.

Sherman paused for a moment before finally speaking his true motive.

"I admit that I'm just taking advantage of her disability here. But I am doing this for the sake of adding another powerful Fencer among our ranks, ensuring Dorfa's fast rise to power and influence. Because I also admit, we are shorthanded with more capable Fencers especially that it's only me and Marianna around."

"Gh… I will have my own Fury too someday." Paiga muttered, taken aback with what Sherman just said.

"But you're currently focused on supporting your family, isn't that right sir Paiga?" Sherman mentioned.

"Well…yes, my wife and children is my current priority right now but my services to Dorfa is also important too, you know…!" Paiga argued.

"I admire your loyalty to our great city, sir. But I do believe that you have to set some priorities straight. And I believe that you should prioritize your family first and foremost."

"I…see." Paiga mumbled silently as he got nothing more to argue with Sherman.

"I will be taking my leave now for a moment." Sherman bid to the man. "And don't worry about finding a your own Fury. I will help you with that once I'm free with some…obligations."

And with that, Sherman left the premises and went out to his destination.

* * *

"Hmm…what's taking Sherman so long…?" Marianna mumbled as she stands in the middle of an open, grassy plain just outside the borders of Dorfa, a place that looks like a province. With her is the amnesiac Nitroplus, wearing a very basic plain, black shirt, plain sleeping trousers and some basic rubber shoes. And as they wait, Nitroplus is holding on to Raw meat as she looks around, admiring the surrounding green pastures.

"Uhm…can I ask if Yuu is alright…?" Nitroplus asked Marianna with genuine concern.

"She's currently at the orphanage for the moment." Marianna replied. "Remember what we said about her welfare? While you are still unable to sustain your own living, she will be under the care of the orphanage until you've proven that you can afford to sustain a life with your little sibling. Don't worry, she will be fine."

"I see. Glad to hear…." Nitroplus said with a sigh. "I hope she has a playmate there now. I think I don't want her to be lonely while I'm not around her."

"Oh, she has a playmate now, alright." Marianna replied. "But of all kids, why did she find the quiet child with jet black hair as her playmate…?" She said to herself in a whisper.

"Sorry, I'm late."

"Took you long enough to get here, Sherman." Marianna told Sherman who just recently arrived.

"Well the conversation with the general got pretty long than I hoped for." Sherman explained. "But at least I was able to convince him."

"So you did it, huh."

"Yes. But not without conditions, though." Sherman said casually. "Anyway, let's begin."

"By the way, you said that you want to see how I fight with my sword, right?" Nitroplus asked to Sherman. "But I don't even remember any of my previous moves and abilities."

"Hmhm. Not to worry. I'm only here to see where I should start in order to return you to your combat capable form even without your memories." Sherman told Nitroplus.

"I see. But if you ask me, I really can't recollect any memories especially regarding combat." Nitroplus replied with a sigh of hopelessness.

"No worries. You may not remember anything in your mind right now…" Sherman started before summoning Ryushin in sword form. "…but I am willing to bet that your body does."

"Wait…what?"

And all of a sudden, Sherman swiftly attacked Nitroplus. And since it was so quick, Nitroplus wasn't able to react quickly enough and got hit in the abdomen with the blunt part of Sherman's sword. However, it was strong enough to throw the amnesiac girl away a few feet before landing down on her bottom.

"Gh…that hurt…." Mumbled Nitroplus in pain as she rubs her stomach that got hit.

"Aren't you a bit…careless there, Sherman?" Marianna said, but she doesn't sound that she cares at all either.

"Well, I guess I could hold off a bit." Sherman replied before attacking Nitroplus once again, this time not as swift as earlier but still quick enough.

 ***Clang!***

"Hmhm. Not bad." Sherman muttered.

Nitroplus was able to quickly parry Sherman's attack with her sword.

"Well I don't want to get hurt now, do I?" Nitroplus told Sherman sarcastically.

"But still, you did something that you said was impossible earlier." Sherman pointed out on how Nitroplus was able to quickly parry his attack. "But I want to see more from that."

"Huh?"

And with that, Sherman attacked Nitroplus with a volley of swift slashes with his sword, this time with the blade towards her. Surprisingly though, Nitroplus was able to go with Sherman's flow and was able to parry every attack.

"Oho…I think Sherman really is on to something here." Marianna muttered to herself as she watches from a distance.

"Why was I able to parry every attack that you sent at me there…?" Nitroplus wondered after they had stopped with the sword fight.

"Well if combat has become a norm for you as like walking, eating and sleeping, then your body is bound to remember what to do, even if you don't think about doing it." Sherman explained.

"So…it's like my…body remembers how I do battle, then?" Nitroplus asked while looking into her own hands.

"More like your body is reacting through your instincts for now." Sherman explained. "But look, you performed very well in defending yourself from my attacks."

"I see. I guess…you're right. Ahaha…." Nitroplus said, a bit delighted about the outcome.

"Now then, why don't you try to attack me this time?" Sherman told Nitroplus calmly.

"Huh? O-okay…, I'll try."

And as she does some sort of fighting stance, out of the blue, her sword suddenly ignited its flames.

" _No worries, lady Nitro. I will guide you._ "

"R-raw meat?"

" _Just do as I say and you will be able to regain your luster in combat. Trust me!_ " Raw meat told Nitroplus with sincerity and dedication.

"Raw meat…." Muttered Nitroplus before smiling confidently and facing Sherman with her usual fighting stance of crouching down a bit with the sword in her hand in a position like she's ready to thrust the sword into her enemy.

" _Oh~! That's your usual fighting stance! You actually remember it!_ " Raw meat excitedly said.

"Heh. Not really. My body just positioned on its own, actually." Nitroplus told Raw meat.

"Hmhm. I see that you will take this seriously." Sherman told Nitroplus. "Just be careful not to burn the grass and cause a wildfire."

"No worries. I won't."

"Then I hope you could prove yourself today, so that I could tell our general that you are as capable as me and Marianna during combat even with your memories gone." Sherman told Nitroplus.

"You mentioned before that I will receive some sort of pension until I am able to sustain a living for me and little Yuu, correct?" Nitroplus asked.

"Dorfa will be giving you some aid, yes." Sherman replied. "So what do you say? Will you join Dorfa's cause while you search for a way to retrieve your memories back?"

Nitroplus paused for a moment, thinking about it before before giving out her answer.

"Well this city did helped me and little Yuu. So I guess I can lend a hand while I find a way to retrieve my memories back."

"I'm glad to hear that, then." Sherman said gladly. "I know it's still too early to say this since the general still has to approve but…, We're glad to have you on board with us, miss Sachika Kibagahara."

Nitroplus blinked rapidly there for a short moment there after Sherman mentioned her name before snorting out a short laugh.

"Hmhm. Call me Nitroplus instead. It's sounds cooler, you know."

And from this moment on, the crimson blade wielder Nitroplus has join the cause of Dorfa to aid the city to reach its goal of rising to power and becoming the most influential body of the Eastern continent. As time passes however, Nitroplus may have regained her combat capabilities, she has yet to retrieve her lost memories back.

To be continued….

(From this point on, the story will transition back to its current timeline of ten years passed. Thank you for reading and look forward for more. And reviews of any kind are always appreciated. Cheers!)


	8. Chapter 7 - Yuu's Grand Plan

Chapter 7 - Yuu's Grand Plan

 _Recap: Due to the aforementioned events that occurred at Leanbox's flagship during the battle at the Western continent, Nitroplus, along with the little girl Yuu, got washed ashore on the Eastern continent. What made matters worse for Nitroplus is that she has lost all of her memories regarding her past and what events occurred during the battle. And to prevent the toddler Yuu from being separated from Nitroplus, her Fury named RawMeat thought up of a way; and that is when she told the amnesiac fencer that the little Yuu is her sister, which she really didn't intend to say but nonetheless it became effective in keeping little Yuu and Nitroplus together. And with the aid of one of Dorfa city's Fencer, Sherman Shallancer, Nitroplus received support from the government until she is able to sustain her own living, but with the condition that she must be capable of fighting for the sake of the city's cause. And ten years has passed, Nitroplus is yet to recollect her memories. But she doesn't seem to mind for now while she lives her Fencer life along with a twelve year old girl named Yuu._

 _And so, their story continues forth…._

* * *

 ***Blam!***

"Honey, I'm hoooome~!" Yelled a young girl with short, purple hair and wearing a white hoodie adorned with a lot of purple highlights and with a school backpack behind her where it's color matches her hoodie, as she slams the front door of their room apartment open. "Nice afternoon, right my dear~?"

"Yuu, how many times do I have to tell you that don't slam the door open." Nitroplus told the girl as she is busy crushing some green leaves along with some yellow petals from an unknown flower on a mortar using a pestle on their dinner table. "And what's with that greeting? Honestly, you're either playing too much video games or watching too much animation on the TV."

"Hehehe~" Giggled Yuu as she puts down her bag on the floor and immediately proceeded in opening their refrigerator to help herself with a pudding on a cup. "So, master, making some of your herbal medicines again, huh."

"You've really taken a liking in calling me master, huh Yuu." Nitroplus said with a small grin and sigh as she continues with what she is doing. "And yes, I'm making me another batch of healing pods since I ran out of them after our last quest got a bit out of hand."

"Yeah, I've heard about that from some of the teachers back at the orphanage's school." Yuu mentioned as she eats her pudding. "So is it really true that your injuries don't heal until you take one of those?"

"Let me guess, someone told you about that, right?" Nitroplus asked, pausing what she was doing to look at the young girl.

"Well…yeah. Sir Shallancer told me." Yuu admitted before setting down the empty cup on the other side of the table before approaching Nitroplus. "Is it really some sort of medical condition that you have other than amnesia?" Asked the young girl in worry.

Nitroplus paused for a moment before letting out a sigh and giving Yuu a smile of security. "Well, that's right. My wounds don't heal until I've taken in some healing herbs. Yuu, I'm sorry if I hadn't told you about it."

"Meh, it's no problem at all. Hehe~" Yuu replied with a smile.

"Eh? Really? You're not upset or something?"

"Not really. I'm sure you have your reasons." Yuu replied as she pulls a chair and sits on it. "By the way, why add these yellow petals if you only really need the green herbs?"

"For added medical effect." Nitroplus replied as she continues to crush some of the herbs on the mortar. "It somehow heals more of my wounds better and faster compared to just using the healing herb by itself. Before, healing herbs would suffice on its own but according to Sherman, as time passes, my body would find healing herbs insufficient enough to heal me properly. Like my body is changing as time passes. And he was right when I noticed that the effects of healing herbs alone is no longer enough to heal me completely. I mean, I still heal but not as fast as before anymore."

"Oh. Okay." Yuu said, but deep inside she didn't really understand at all as she settled on watching Nitroplus do her work.

"Luckily, they were able to find out that adding these yellow petals from a sunflower monster boosts the effects of healing herbs. So once I stuff these inside a consumable capsule, I can heal myself like before." Nitroplus said more as she now started to put some of the crushed herbs inside what looks like small, empty capsule shells. "But I bet my body would adjust again and these would be not so effective in the near future. I hope not."

"Oh…." Yuu muttered as she watches Nitroplus stuff the herbs inside the capsule shells. "Uh…why don't we get a blender then? It would be easier to crush those than with that…manual stuff."

"True. But those don't come cheap." Nitroplus reasoned to the young girl as she stuffs in more of the crushed herbs inside the capsule shells.

"Whaaat? But with your monthly payment, you can easily buy one. We can even make our own pudding now using that…!" Yuu reasoned before she picks up one of the healing herbs leaves to examine them.

"Okay okay. I will get one soon." Nitroplus replied while patting the young girl on the head. "Well I just didn't find any good reason to buy one before, you know."

"But you've been making those medicine for a while now. Didn't it strike you that having a blender will make things easier for you when making those drugs of yours?"

"Wow. Now you're suddenly speaking like an adult there, Yuu." Said Nitroplus as she stands up from her chair and cleared the table of her mess before putting them all in the kitchen sink. She then proceeded to gather the healing pods she made and puts them inside a small container conveniently strapped on a belt wrapped on her right leg. "Anyway, I'll be heading out now to do some quests. I'll be back by evening. Just don't forget to lock the door if you're heading out."

"Oookay~! Take care~!" Yuu replied with a cheery voice and a raised hand as Nitroplus leaves their apartment room, leaving Yuu in her lonesome once more.

And as Yuu is left there sitting on a chair, she looked closely again on the piece of long leaf in her hand.

"Hmm…. It's boring here. I already finished my games and a re-run is kind of boring for now. Might as well head out." Yuu muttered to herself before leaving her chair to pick up the notebook she bought at the marketplace and heads out, without forgetting to lock the front door this time, of course.

* * *

And speaking of someone in their lonesome, the jet black, messy short haired boy named Kuroe was walking on his own along the pavement at the nearby park.

"Man, am I bored. I wonder where Yuu is-…" He suddenly stopped himself from saying it before shaking his head. "What am I even thinking? Why would I look for that reckless girl?"

But as he walk on, he suddenly saw Yuu sitting on one of the park benches, looking at the piece of herbs in herr hand still. "Ugh…what darn luck. Well, she still hasn't seen me so I guess I could still turn tail and leave…."

But before he could do so, he saw Yuu suddenly take a bite off the piece of herb, before immediately spitting out the piece she bit out of her mouth and started gagging a bit.

"Jeez…that girl sure is hopeless." Sighed Kuroe as he decided to approach the girl.

"Agh….urk…. Oh, nep…! That leaf sure is bitter….!" Yuu mutters as she tries to wipe the taste off her tongue by using her purple handkerchief.

"And why would you take a bite off that thing in the first place, anyway? Seriously, you sure are reckless, Yuu."

When Yuu looked up, she saw Kuroe a few short feet away from where she sits, cross armed and all.

"Oh~! It's Cutey-rogi~!" Yuu called out to her friend.

"I said don't call me that! Jeez…!" Kuroe yelled out after getting a bit flustered.

"Awww~ I made him blush." Yuu teased further.

"Q-quit it, you idiot!" Kuroe shouted, getting even more flustered.

"Hahahaha! Your funny when you get all embarrassed and such, Kuroe."

"A-anyway, what's up with that leaf on your hand? And why did you take a bite from it?" Kuroe asked, trying trying to stir the conversation away from his flustered look.

"Well, actually…it's the herb used by sis to heal her injuries." Yuu explained. "But she mentioned that this alone doesn't have much effect on her anymore so she added another kind of ingredient in her medicine. But she said that as time passes, that could no longer be effective on her anymore as well."

"Oh, I see." Kuroe said after listening to her. "Your sister really depends on that in order to live further, huh."

"Only when she gets injured." Yuu corrected. She then proceeded to look at the herb in her hand again, as if she's in deep thought.

"Don't tell me your gonna take another bite off that thing again?" Kuroe said cautiously.

"Eh? No way! I would never repeat that again!" Yuu said in defense.

"Well knowing you, you might just repeat it again." Kuroe can't help but mention.

"Boo~! Kuroe, you tease!" Yuu said, sounding like she's upset but really she isn't.

"Yeah yeah. It's payback for teasing me earlier. Heh."

After that, the two children went silent for a moment, with Yuu looking at the herb again as if it's some sort of rare item that she found. As for Kuroe, he's just sitting there beside Yuu, wondering what he should do in his free time.

"OH! I GOT IT!"

"Gaaaah!" Yelled a startled Kuroe after hearing Yuu suddenly shout. "Wh-what the heck, Yuu?! Don't just suddenly scream like that! Jeez, you made my heart skip a beat there…!"

"Oops. Sorry, Kuroe." Yuu apologized before sticking her tongue out as a sign of goofing off. "Anyway, it's a free day tomorrow, right? No classes at the orphanage tomorrow, right?"

"Uh…yeah. It's a weekend." Kuroe answered, still a bit irritated after Yuu startled him. "Why ask?"

"Hehehe~" Yuu giggled before standing in front of Kuroe and announcing what she has in mind.

"We're going on a quest tomorrow~!"

"Eh? What quest?" Kuroe said, a bit taken aback about what Yuu just said. "You do realize that we're not yet qualified for that…!"

"Oh not quests from the guild, silly~." Yuu told Kuroe humorously. "And it's not even remotely dangerous too, I think."

"You think so, huh." Kuroe replied, unsure about what his friend is brewing.

"Yeah! Here's what we're gonna do tomorrow morning." Yuu said before clearing her throat and saying her piece like she's about to give a speech. "We're gonna find ingredients out there and make our own healing item~!"

"What?"

"You heard me right~! I'm gonna help sis in finding a foolproof healing item so that she won't worry about finding one with long lasting effect~!" Yuu mentioned her own brilliant idea.

"Uh…that…doesn't sound so bad, actually." Kuroe admitted. "But does it have to be tomorrow already?"

"Yup! This can no longer wait, my friend~!" Yuu insisted. "And you're coming with me. I can't do this on my own, you know."

"Oh great…." Kuroe sighed as he leans back into the bench in defeat.

"Come on, Kuroe~. I really can't do this on my own. I need my buddy on this one." Yuu pleaded to the young boy.

But after hearing her say this made Kuroe blush a bit.

After giving out a deep sigh, Kuroe finally gave in and agreed to come.

"Fine. I'll accompany you just because you need my help. Jeez…so stubborn." Kuroe mentioned before looking away a bit.

"Thanks~! I'm glad I can count on you, Cutey-rogi~."

"Keep calling me that and you could forget me coming with you…!"

"Gaaaah! Okay okay, I'm sorry. Hehehe~"

And with that, Yuu has finally settled that tomorrow, she and Kuroe will find ingredients that can be made as a healing item just like Nitroplus' healing pods, albeit an improved version.

"Ookay~! Let's get ready for tomorrow~! See you tomorrow, Kuroe~!" Yuu cheered on in excitement as she hurriedly went back to her home.

And as for Kuroe….

"*Sigh* What did I get myself into…? Well, at least I have something to do tomorrow instead of reading books all alone or trying to make fri- *sigh* what am I even saying…?"

To be continued….


	9. Chapter 8 - Black Overwhelmed

Chapter Eight – Black Overwhelmed

It was a sunny Saturday morning, 7AM to be exact. Nitroplus wakes up early as her body got used to it since she always prepares food early for her and Yuu. But as she was about to head to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, someone already got ahead of her on the basin.

"Y-yuu? You're…up early for a weekend."

And there was the young girl named Yuu brushing her teeth while standing on top of a small stool just for her to properly reach the basin.

"Mm? Mm! Mmmmm m mm!" Yuu cheerfully greeted to Nitroplus, toothbrush still in the mouth and with a lot of foam from the toothpaste.

"Uh…rinse your mouth first, Yuu." Nitroplus pointed out to the young girl.

"Hmhmhm~. Mmm~." Yuu mumbled, which sounded like she said 'oops', as she obliged to what Nitroplus just told her to do. "As I've said earlier, good morning, master~!"

"Yes, good morning." Nitroplus greeted back. "I think I already missed you calling me sis or sister…." She mumbled quietly.

"Okay then, sis."

"Ah, you heard me, huh. And that was too easy, convincing you back."

"Well all you need was to ask, sis." Yuu replied before she started washing her face with clean water running from the faucet.

"Don't let the water running for too long." Nitroplus reminded Yuu as she settled in waiting for her to finish by sitting at the couch in the living room.

After a more than an hour of washing, breakfast and preparations, Yuu and Nitroplus are ready to leave their apartment room. But they didn't leave just yet because Nitroplus forgot to ask something to Yuu.

"Where are you headed this early, anyway?"

"Oh. Uh…me and Kuroe will be doing some bug hunting. Hehe~" Yuu explained.

"Huh? This early? Don't you usually do that in the afternoon?" Nitroplus asked further.

"Well…uh…Kuroe still needs to have some preparations before he goes bug hunting with me. Hehe~"

But Nitroplus seemed unconvinced about the explanation of Yuu. But she just let out a sigh before lowering herself into a crouching position so that she could look eye to eye with Yuu.

"Listen, just make sure that you will be alright, okay?" Nitroplus told the young girl in a gentle manner. "I trust that you will be home early and without a scratch. Are we clear with that, Yuu?"

"Loud and clear, onee-chan~." Yuu replied cheerfully.

"Hmhm. Now you're using northern language? You really are watching too much animation on the TV."

"Hehehe~. You should try watching some too."

"Anyway, you'll be heading to the orphanage first, right?" Nitroplus asked as she stands up.

"Yup. I'm gonna meet Kuroe there." Yuu replied in her usual cheerful manner.

"Then I suggest that you take the same path as I do when you go there since we tread the same path." Nitroplus briefly suggested.

"With you dropping off first since the main hall goes first in our route, right?"

"Uh…yeah. That's right. So, shall we?"

"Yeah!"

* * *

And after leaving their apartment room, Nitroplus and Yuu took only about fifteen minutes to get to the main hall.

"Well here we are." Nitroplus mentioned after taking a few steps towards the Main entrance. "Be careful, okay? And be home by afternoon."

"You got it, mas- I mean sis~!" Yuu replied, a small backpack on her back, as she merrily waves goodbye to Nitroplus and walks away towards the orphanage to meet her friend.

"You really have such a cheerful sibling there."

"Hmm?" Nitroplus looked away from overseeing Yuu for a second to see who talked to her. And there standing by the entrance is one of the eldest in their group. "Oh, sir Paiga, good morning." She greeted before looking back at Yuu, but the girl is no longer in her sights when she returned to look.

"It's good that you are here now. General Hanagata wants to speak with you about your next task."Paiga notified to Nitroplus.

"Hm. Understood." Nitroplus acknowledged before turning face to enter the building. But since her gaze is still on where Yuu headed, she failed to see someone passing by to exit and accidentally bumped into that person.

"Gh. I'm so so-!"

But when Nitroplus looked to see the face of the person, what met her gaze is a pair of intimidating eyes. Not only that, the person's attire alone could also spell trouble to whoever decides to pick a fight with this person.

"Tch…. Don't block the way." Muttered the person, who seems to be a young man in his early twenties, as he continues on his way out, leaving Nitroplus there standing perplexed as to what she just encountered.

"Don't let him intimidate you." Paiga told Nitroplus. "From what I can see, he's nothing but a punk."

"Who…is that guy, anyway?" Nitroplus asked out of curiosity.

"You'll get to know him soon enough." Said Paiga, giving somewhat an indirect answer. "But like I said, don't let him bother you. Now, the general awaits for you."

"Hm. Understood." Nitroplus replied once more, agreeing with what Paiga just said before entering the building. " _Must be a new recruit? I can tell that he's also a Fencer._ " She thought in her mind.

* * *

Meanwhile, Yuu has finally reached her destination; the orphanage directly managed by the government of Dorfa. It took her fifteen more minutes to get there since Yuu stopped over to some shops to buy some food and drinks to bring with her. But her excitement in making Nitroplus a new kind of medicinal drink was so great that all the walk she did was just a piece of cake for her.

As she entered the place, she got greeted by one of the lady helpers of the orphanage before asking who she was gonna visit there.

"I'm here to see Kuroe, miss." Yuu told the helper.

"Oh, I see that you are a friend of him." The female helper mentioned in a kind manner. "Come with me, then. Although I believe that Kuroe is still asleep in his dormitory room."

"Still asleep, huh. Hmm…."

When they got to the room where Kuroe resides, the helper excused herself to Yuu before leaving her to deal with the still asleep young boy.

As Yuu entered the room, she saw Kuroe asleep on his own bunk bed while the remaining three bunk beds of his roommates are already vacant.

"Awwww~. Kuroe's sleeping face looks cute." Yuu mentioned as she gets closer to the sleeping boy. "But we can't have that. We need to be out and about as soon as possible so…~"

With a deep breath, Yuu let out her voice as loud as possible.

"HEY! TIME TO GET UP! IF YOU DON'T GET UP I'M GONNA SNORE IN YOUR EAR~!"

"Gwaaaah!"

Being startled by Yuu's sudden shouting, Kuroe bolted up from his bed in alarm, much to the young girl's entertainment.

"Ahahahaha! Ahahahaha! Good wake up there, Kuroe! Ahahahaha!" Yuu laughed so hard that she's clutching her stomach.

"You idiot!"

 ***Bonk!***

"Ouch…!" Yuu cried out as Kuroe gave her a whack in the head with his clenched hand.

"Jeez…." Kuroe mumbled before letting out a yawn. "Can't you wake someone up in a normal way?"

"But that would be boring and too plain to do."

"Wh-whatever…!"

"I bet the reason you're still not up until I arrived is because you were too excited for our little trip that it made it hard for you to sleep~." Yuu teased to the young boy.

"I-idiot…! I did not wake up late due to lack of sleep or anything!" Kuroe defiantly answered with a flustered face. "It was just too comfortable to sleep last night. That's all…!"

"Hehehe. Yeah yeah, lonely heart."

"Quit it…! I am neither lonely nor is my heart lonely!"

Yuu then noticed a thick book just beside Kuroe's pillow.

"Uh…what's with the oversized book, Kuroe?"

"What? Oh this? Well I was looking into some stuff that we might find useful on our way out." Kuroe answered.

"I knew that you're excited about this….~"

"Shut it…! Th-this is just taking precautions and making things easy for us while we look, that's all…!" Kuroe argued to his teasing friend before pulling the book out and putting it on his lap. "Anyway, I bet you're looking for nothing but materials with medicinal effects, right?"

"Yup. That's it." Yuu answered as she pulls two egg sandwiches, wrapped in sandwich bags, from her backpack and handed one to Kuroe, where in the boy shyly accepted.

"Well the good news is that some of those items can be purchased on some stores here." Kuroe started saying before taking a bite off the sandwich. "But they don't come cheap here since most are imported from other continents."

"Eh? Doesn't the eastern continent have any of those here?" Yuu asked after swallowing a hefty bite of her sandwich.

"Well from what I learned from school is that the east has more abundant mineral resources than plant ones. I mean, there are plants but medicinal ones aren't found here yet." Kuroe explained as he eats. "Medicinal plants are more abundant at the northern and western continents, as the book says."

"Whaaat?" Blurted out an aghast Yuu. "But I don't want to buy any of those stuff. I'd rather save up my money on food and video games and maybe some other anime stuff. And here I thought I could just gather them from the wild."

"Breaks your plan on finding them yourself, huh." Kuroe said and there seems to be an air of relief in his words. "Well, why not just buy some ingredients and whip up your healing potion at home?"

"But I was all set to go out." Yuu argued, a bit upset with what she learned.

"Come on. Don't throw a tantrum here in my room. I'll…I'll still accompany you in buying those stuff. And maybe…help you make that new healing potion."

"But there has to be other stuff out there that I can use…!" Yuu persisted as she grabs the big book off Kuroe's lap and started turning the pages rapidly. "Won't any plant out there do?"

"Well there are but it will either poison miss Nitroplus or have no effect on her at all." Kuroe mentioned as he finishes his sandwich in one bite. "Come on, Yuu. Just buy some ingredients at the shops. It's easier for the both of us."

But Yuu's determination to venture out there was evident as she continues to look for pages that indicate any medicinal items that isn't a plant.

"Ooh! What about this?" Yuu suddenly said as she stops on a certain page of the book.

"What? Really?" Kuroe said in surprise as he peered at the part where Yuu is pointing out.

* * *

 **Dogoos are creatures who are depicted as being part slime, part dog. While their bodies are completely gelatin, they have the muzzle, ears, and tail of a dog.**

* * *

"Uh…Yuu, that's the monsters section already." Kuroe pointed out. "And how can a monster have medicinal traits?"

"Well read some more, Kuroe." Yuu told her friend as she points at the sentence she wants Kuroe to see for himself.

* * *

 **Early eastern people use a small portion of jelly extracted from a downed Dogoo to treat external injuries from scratches to open wounds. But it is still yet to be proven if Dogoo jelly can also heal internal ailments of the human body if ingested by people as is or should be mixed with other medical ingredients.**

* * *

"Eh? Seriously? Dogoo jelly has medicinal traits?" Kuroe can't help but be surprised about it.

"And not only that…!" Yuu said as she slams the book shut. "Master also said something about an ingredient she's using as also being a part of some monster with yellow petals. So that means we can gather some materials from a monster!"

"Don't tell me that…."

"Yup~! We're gonna hunt down some Dogoos!" Yuu announced with all her heart and excitement.

"I knew it…." Kuroe sighed as he slaps his face gently with his palm. "But the book said that consuming Dogoo jelly wasn't proven an effective remedy yet."

"And that's why I'm gonna add Dogoo jelly on the healing potion that we will make~." Yuu told his bewildered friend.

"Seriously?" Kuroe said with a bit of irritation in his voice. "B-but hunting Dogoos could be dangerous…!"

"But look. The book said that human mortality rate, uh I did said it right I hope, when encountering dogoos are close to zero." Yuu pointed out to him.

" _Damn this book…!_ " Kuroe can't help but curse in his mind. And before he could react, Yuu suddenly yanked him by the collar of his shirt and got pulled off from his bed by the girl with unexplainable strength.

"It is settled then! We'll go hunt for some dogoos and get some jellies from them~!" Yuu cheerfully told Kuroe while still pulling the struggling boy from his collar as she walks out of his dormitory room.

"Hey! Let go!" Kuroe demanded to Yuu, his cries of plea attracting some attention from the other children. "O-okay okay! Fine! I'll come with you just…let go of me!"

"But you might run away." Yuu mentioned direct to the point.

"I…I won't! I promise…! Let me just change my clothes, please…!"

"Oh! Okay then." Yuu said before letting go. "Then I'll wait here for you at the corridor."

"Jeez…. So demanding of you…." Kuroe mumbled quietly as he rubs the back of his neck.

"But if you ever run away from me, Kuroe Kuterogi, I'm gonna hunt you down instead~!" Yuu suddenly declared cheerfully but Kuroe felt like he got threatened there for a second.

"Gh…O-okay okay. I won't run away." Kuroe replied, feeling defeated.

And as Kuroe slowly retreats to his dormitory room to change his clothing, he took a glance first at Yuu. And there he saw the girl eyeing him as if she's keeping a close watch at him.

"Gh…. I guess I have no choice…." Kuroe quietly mumbled to himself as he goes in his room to change his clothes.

"What have I gotten myself into…? I knew I shouldn't have borrowed that damn book…."

To be continued….


	10. Chapter 9 - Dogoo Hunt

Chapter Nine - Dogoo Hunt

Back at the Main Hall of Dorfa city….

"What? Th-the CPU of Leanbox is going to visit Dorfa?" Nitroplus can't help but utter those words in surprise after their leader, General Hanagata, told the information to her and the other two Fencers beside her, namely Sherman and Marianna.

However, Marianna seems unhappy about the news as it is evident in her expression; she's clenching her hands so tight that it's shaking while wearing a frown on her face. And the general seems to have noticed.

"After all these years, you still have such grudge against the woman, Marianna?" Hanagata pointed out to her. "Although I understand where it came from but I say it's time for you to drop it and move on. You've already lived a bountiful life under Dorfa's roof and I say it's enough compensation to cover what life you have lost during your troubled times. And I don't want you underperforming your duties due to your petty grudges."

"P-petty grudges…?!" Marianna can't help but shout out in outrage. But after doing so, what she met are the serious gaze of their general, enough to silence her and look down in shame.

"Don't disappoint me, Marianna." Hanagata told the girl in calm but still intimidating manner. "A leader of another nation, not to mention also a patron of the goddess Celestia, will be visiting our city and the last thing I want is you assaulting the CPU on Dorfa's soil. I trust that you will not put our city to shame because of your conflict against the CPU."

Nitroplus can't help but feel sorry for Marianna as the latter looks like she's holding back tears while looking down on the floor in frustration as she gets lectured by their general.

"I don't want anything that could tarnish the name and reputation of our city so if you can't swallow your pride and hold down your grudges, then you might as well not show yourself while the CPU is in our domain. Do I make myself clear, Marianna?"

"Y-yes, General…." Marianna answered a bit quietly with trembling words as she seems to be holding off a mixture of emotions swirling inside her.

"Then you might as well cool off that head of yours, Marianna." Hanagata suggested in a serious tone. "Your tone against me earlier was the least satisfying to my ears. You may take your leave now."

And at the suggestion of the general, Marianna walked out of the general's office in haste. And Nitroplus even swore to herself that she saw Marianna break into tears before she even got out of the office.

"As for you, Sachika…" Hanagata continued on, making Nitroplus stiffen up her posture upon hearing her name being called. "…your objective today will be given to you by Paiga." He then indicated the man just beside the door of his office.

Paiga then cleared his throat first before relaying the information he got for Nitroplus.

"This is a request from one of our local merchants who deliver goods to other cities in the Eastern continent. They report about the growing number of dogoos coming from the Sol Plains."

"Dogoos? They're not really that much of a threat." Nitroplus mentioned.

"Yes, but the growing number of dogoos there is still causing merchants and travelers alike some trouble." Paiga explained.

"Strength in numbers, after all." Sherman butted in.

"Right. Miss Sachika, it is your objective to investigate this claim and eliminate the monsters, or if not possible, diminish their numbers to a safer amount." Paiga relayed to Nitroplus.

"Well we don't want to break the circle of life now by making dogoos extinct, do we?" Nitroplus mentioned as she prepares to leave.

"Hahaha. But this world has an abundant amounts of dogoos everywhere so I don't think eliminating all dogoos at the Sol Plains would really affect the ecosystem." Sherman amusingly said.

"Well there goes my excuse for not beating them all to the ground." Nitroplus replied to Sherman amusingly as well.

"Your objective is given, Sachika. You may take your leave now." Hanagata told Nitroplus.

"Very well. I shall take my leave now, General." Nitroplus replied politely.

"Oh, before you leave miss Nitroplus, may I ask how are you and your sister doing?" Sherman asked out of the blue.

"Well we're fine. Thank you for asking." Nitroplus replied. "She's currently with her friend today. They will do some bug catching this afternoon, I think."

"I see. Well that is all. My apologies for holding you back." Sherman said in his usual kind manner.

"No, it's okay. I'm just gonna deal with some spineless dogoos, anyway." Nitroplus said before heading out of the office.

"As for you, Sherman…," Hanagata started saying, getting Sherman's attention. "…I will let you handle the new recruit." Hanagata instructed to him.

"The new recruit, huh…." Sherman muttered.

"A fine scoundrel if you ask me…." Paiga can't help but mumble.

"Paiga…."

"S-sorry, my general…."

"Very well, General. I'll see to it that the new recruit will abide to the rules of Dorfa's Fencers and the laws that surrounds it." Sherman said with confidence.

"You might find him a bit of a handful. But I have great confidence that you can tame him, Sherman." Hanagata told the white-clad Fencer.

"Understood, sir."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the orphanage….

After a few minutes of preparation, Kuroe finally stepped out of his dormitory room. Clad in basic, outdoor wear for young boys, he looked around the corridor to look for his waiting friend. But he was unable to find Yuu where she said she would wait.

"Jeez…. She said she would wait here." Kuroe said with a sigh.

"If you're looking for that wacky, purple haired girl, I saw her leave the corridor. I don't know where she went, though." A young boy said as he passes by Kuroe.

"Oh. How did you know I was looking for her?" Kuroe can't help but ask.

"Well I was still in my room when I saw you being dragged away by that girl." The boy said before walking away, making Kuroe slightly taken aback after hearing the boy's last words in his sentence.

Not staying still though, Kuroe then looked around for Yuu as he went by. It's not until he looked outside the orphanage that she saw Yuu running back towards the entrance.

"For someone making me promise, you sure did awfully well in breaking your promise of waiting for me by the corridor." Kuroe sarcastically said to the girl who was catching her breath.

"Hahahaha…. *huff* sorry, Kuroe. I just remembered to pick up a few things before we head out." Yuu said before handing over to Kuroe what looks like a single bladed, wooden sword.

"Eh? Where did you get this?" Kuroe wondered as he picked it up from Yuu's hand. The wooden sword may be single bladed but it's not actually sharp to cause any lacerations. But it looked sturdy and hard enough to give a person a hefty bruise when hit hard.

"I found them on a trash heap." Yuu told Kuroe as she brandished her similarly designed sword. "Since we're dealing with basic monsters, we gotta have weapons to deal with them. Hehe~"

"In the trash heap…?" Kuroe muttered, dumbfounded. "Well I'm surprised that it isn't dirty. Not to mention sturdy enough."

"Well I cleaned them before giving it to you, silly." Yuu told her friend. "And yeah, it's more sturdy than the bamboo sword I use when me and sis do some training."

"Well I hope we don't need to use these and the results of your training." Kuroe said straightforward.

"Ah! How rude! My sword skills is not that shabby, you know." Yuu uttered with a pout, a bit offended with what Kuroe said.

"Hey, I only said that as in I hope we don't encounter any danger, that's all." Kuroe said in defense. He then noticed a few small, thin glass tubes poking out of Yuu's hoodie dress. "Uh…what's with the test tubes?"

"Well we'll use these to store some dogoo jelly." Yuu answered. "I even have a beaker inside my backpack."

"Where did you get those?"

"From a pretty lady with big boobs and short, black hair with a few long hair tied down behind her head." Yuu simply described.

"Wow, that's one way to describe someone…." Kuroe muttered to himself. "And she simply just gave you those?"

"Yup. I just told her I need just one from her stock to use for my experiment and she gave me a few plus a beaker. Nice, isn't she?"

"I…guess."

"So, now that we're all set, let's go!" Yuu said excitingly before walking ahead towards the Soldiers Plains. But her friend doesn't seem too enthusiastic about their journey but nonetheless followed her.

* * *

It was almost noon when the two children reached the Sol Plains. It was quite a peaceful place there. So peaceful that one can't imagine that this place is littered with mediocre monsters.

"We're here!" Yuu cheerfully said as she settled down to a shade under a tree.

"Hey, careful. There are giant bees here other than dogoos." Kuroe said as he follows Yuu's lead.

"Well it's still pretty much early so wanna eat some lunch for now, buddy?" Yuu asked.

"B-buddy…?" Kuroe repeated while blushing a bit. "Anyway, yeah sure. I'm famished."

And the two placed a small blanket on the grassy earth underneath the shade of the tree before pulling out a few more sandwiches and a big aluminum flask that contains orange juice and started eating.

"So, where do you think the dogoos are?" Yuu asked before biting off a huge chunk from her sandwich that this time contains a slice of ham with butter and mayo in it.

"Beats me." Kuroe replied as he eats the sandwich given to him, also containing ham.

"Hmm…I wish at least one gets near here. Then we wouldn't have to go far, right?"

"Well…yeah but don't count on it. I bet they're in the deeper parts of the plains. On the places with tall grasses, I bet." Kuroe said as he pours some orange juice on his paper cup before drinking some from it.

"Hmm…still it's preferable, right?" Yuu hoped as she gazes up into the clear sky while eating her food.

" **Nura~** "

"Huh?"

"Nura?"

As the two wondered where that sound came from, something plump is approaching them.

"Whoa…!"

"Is…is that…?"

It was a plump looking creature with blue colored body that looked like jelly while having ears, muzzle and tail of a dog. And as it approaches the two children, it kept on uttering the sound 'Nura'.

"A dogoo~!" Yuu excitedly shouted as she picked up her wooden sword and stood up to confront the creature.

"So that's an actual dogoo, huh." Kuroe said as he saw the creature. "It…doesn't look that dangerous."

"Kuroe, crush some healing herbs and a few yellow petals now while I deal with this chunk of jelly!"

"What? No, you do it, Yuu! Let me deal with that creature." Kuroe said as he steps forward, wooden sword in hand.

" **Nura?** "

"Haaaaaa!"

And with one downward slash, Kuroe was able to hit the dogoo straight in its top, almost flattening the creature.

" **Nura!** "

"Ack!"

However, the dogoo was able to make Kuroe's sword bounce back to its owner, hitting Kuroe in the face and making him fall on his bottom.

"Ouch. That must have hurt, huh Kuroe."

"Shut it, Yuu…! It's already obvious…!" Kuroe shouted as he rubs his reddish forehead.

" **Nuraaaa!** "

With Kuroe unaware, the dogoo suddenly made a jump at Kuroe and is about to land straight on his face.

"Kuroe, watch out!"

And with one quick slash of her wooden sword, Yuu was able to hit the dogoo so hard that it popped like a bubble, splattering blue jelly around and some even found themselves over Kuroe, much to the boy's surprise.

"Ugh! Eww…! It's sticky…!" Kuroe muttered as he wipes away some dogoo jelly off his face and clothes.

Yuu, however, was already busy scooping up some dogoo jelly already before heading back to their picnic area.

"Kuroe, hurry. Crush some herbs for me."

"Yeah yeah…." Kuroe replied with a sigh before heading there to help Yuu.

After a few minutes of crushing some healing herbs and yellow petals….

"Okay I think these are enough~." Yuu said as she puts out the beaker she got earlier and poured some dogoo jelly in it. "Next are the herbs."

And as Kuroe seasoned the jelly with the herbs, Yuu was doing the mixing using a spoon. However, the more they mix the more the substance became more…unpleasant to look at.

"Ugh…."

"It looks…disgusting…."

Their mixture has turned into an unpleasant looking slime with moss green color. And from the looks of it, it seems the slime is something in between solid or liquid.

"Maybe it's effective…?" Yuu said, unsure what the effect of their concoction can give, which is now forming bubbles in it like it's slowly being boiled. "Why don't you try it, Kuroe? Maybe it could cure that bruise on your forehead."

"What?! No way!"

And as they argued, the bubbles in the concoction popped and emitted a smell so pungent that was enough to make one trigger their gag reflex.

"Ack…! It stinks!" Yuu cried out as she clipped her nose using her fingers before picking up the beaker and throwing the substance out to a grassy area far from their place.

"Well…that was a waste of resources." Kuroe mentioned.

"Hey Kuroe…, why don't we boil it?"

"Huh? Boil it? Really?"

"Yeah! I don't know how it occurred to me but ideas being randomly generated in one's mind can be quite handy, huh. Hehe~" Yuu said cheerfully.

"You're so weird. The media is influencing you too much." Kuroe can't help but mention.

But they did proceed with such plan. After Kuroe gathered some wood from the tree they use as shade, he then started to make fire from it by rapidly rubbing a piece of wood on another until it heats up due to friction.

As for Yuu, she cleaned the beaker first using water from a nearby stream before pouring some clean water on it and placing it on top of the small campfire Kuroe made. Kuroe did, however, checked to see if the beaker can be used to boil stuff in it. And after confirming it won't shatter due to heat, they proceeded in boiling the water first.

"Hey, it's boiling now. So, how do we pour the ingredients?" Kuroe asked.

"Uhm…herbs first, I guess?"

"So, like making tea, huh. Okay then." Kuroe said before sprinkling a few crushed healing herbs to the boiling water followed by a few crushed yellow petals.

"Oh! The herbs dissolved!" Yuu pointed out.

And true enough, the crushed herbs disintegrated in the water. But it did somewhat turned the color of the water into a clear, yellowish gold color typically seen when brewing tea.

"So…now add the jelly?" Kuroe asked.

And without saying a word, Yuu excitedly poured in some dogoo jelly into the boiling concoction.

"I wonder if the result will be different this time." Yuu can't help but think.

"Yeah, I wonder too-"

But Kuroe stopped half way of what he was about to say when he noticed something coming from the tall grasses just a few feet away from them.

"Uh…Yuu…."

"Hmm?"

"There's…trouble." Kuroe nervously said before picking his wooden sword to prepare himself.

And when Yuu looked back to see what caused Kuroe to be alarmed, there she saw quite the scene.

" **Nura!** " " **Nura.** " " **Nuraaa!** "

A pack of dogoos were closing in on them, from almost every direction except where they entered the plains. There were so many that Yuu didn't even bothered to count as she prepared her wooden sword to defend.

"Gaah! What should we do, Kuroe?!" Yuu yelled in panic.

"Don't ask me! I don't know either!"

"Gaah! I don't wanna die by being overrun by a horde of slimy dogoos!"

"Idiot! Don't say we're gonna die because I won't allow it, Yuu! *Gulp*"

And as the pack of dogoos closes in….

"Waaaaaaah! We're done for!" Yuu cried out before curling herself down with hands over her head.

"Ashes to ashes…, dust to dust!"

All of a sudden, a hail of fireballs launched themselves at all the dogoos near Yuu's location, eliminating them on the spot. As for the rest of the dogoos, after seeing their brethren got burned to ashes, they immediately scampered away from the site in fear of being burned as well.

"What are you doing here, Yuu?!"

"Eh?"

Hearing a familiar voice, Yuu slowly unfurled herself to see who spoke. And there she saw none other than Nitroplus, looking at her with a baffled expression.

"Sol Plains is a little bit far for you and Kuroe to be bug catching, Yuu…! So I ask what brings you two here?" Nitroplus said, sounding a bit upset at the two.

"Well…sis, uh…we uh…" Yuu muttered while fiddling her thumbs. She really can't hide it from her face that she actually lied to Nitroplus.

"So…you lied to me? You didn't wander off to go bug catching with your friend?" Nitroplus said, sounding both surprised and upset. "Did you wander off here to go monster hunting? Didn't I mentioned that it's dangerous to do so? If I didn't so happen to be passing by, I might have found you here all trampled down by a lot of dogoos! You could've… could've…!" Nitroplus is trying her best to not be angry at Yuu but what the girl did was really enough to upset her.

As for Yuu, being scolded by Nitroplus was enough to make her silent and feel down about it.

"Yuu…just tell me honestly what you are doing here in this monster filled place." Nitroplus said as soon as she managed to cool her head a bit. "If I find your reason to be acceptable, then you won't receive any spanking from me. Are we clear?"

"But I have a good reason…!" Yuu said, a little brighten up as she proceeded to pick up her concoction. "Kuroe, help me with this. Let's pour it in an empty bottle."

"Are you sure it turned out okay?" Kuroe asked.

When Yuu checked the contents of the beaker, it showed a very clear, water like potion in it. And the smell it's emitting wasn't unpleasant like their earlier mixture. This boiled concoction doesn't even have a smell. It's like it returned to just plain water.

"Ooh. Something scientific happened behind our backs, Kuroe." Yuu mentioned cheerfully.

"Uh…I guess so." Kuroe agreed as he opens what looked like an empty bottle of energy drink.

After opening, Yuu then gently poured in the contents inside the bottle until it became full enough. She then returned the bottle cap back in its place before handing the bottle over to Nitroplus who seems confused as to what Yuu and Kuroe did.

"Uh…what's this for, Yuu?" Nitroplus asked, indicating the bottle in her hand.

"Well it's your newest healing item, sis~!" Yuu cheerfully announced.

"Healing item…? That's…thoughtful of you but you went all the way here just to make me this?"

"I'll answer that later! Come on, use it~!" Yuu excitingly said.

"But Yuu…I'm not even hurt. How can we know if it works if I'm not hurt?" Nitroplus pointed out.

"Well…. Hmm…" Yuu muttered while thinking. "Oh! Another random thought! Hold out your free hand, sis."

"Huh? Like this?" Nitroplus said while holding out her left hand.

"Hehe…." Yuu snickered before picking up her wooden sword.

"Uh…Yuu, what are you gonna do with that wooden sword?" Nitroplus asked.

"Well…~"

 ***WHACK!***

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

And that day passed with no more incidents.

Nitroplus swore that she had never screamed in pain that much for a long while now, albeit from the point where she lost her memory that is.

As for Yuu, she swore that day that she'll never lie to her sister again or to anyone.

And as for Kuroe…, he swore that day that Yuu's bottom will never be the same again after getting spanked so hard by Nitroplus to discipline her.

And as for Yuu's brew…, Nitroplus hadn't tried it yet sadly.

To be continued….


	11. Chapter 10 - The Rebel Fencer of Dorfa

Chapter Ten – The Rebel Fencer of Dorfa

It has already been more than a week now since Yuu's incident with the Dogoos at the Sol Plains. It was a close call for the young girl and her friend but not so much when Nitroplus gave her quite a spanking after what Yuu just did to her.

"Hnnggh…It's already been a week or so but I can still feel my rear is numb…." Yuu complained as she sits down on her chair at a school directly managed by the orphanage. Some other children are also seated on their designated chairs while others are starting to get in the classroom.

"Well it's kinda your fault why you ended up with a sore bottom, Yuu."

When Yuu looked up to see who spoke, there she saw her friend Kuroe standing beside her desk. He's not carrying any sort of school materials so Yuu assumed that he already got to his chair first before he approached her.

"If you only told the truth, then you wouldn't have a sore bottom."

"But then she wouldn't have allowed me to go there." Yuu reasoned out as she starts doodling on a notebook.

"Well the place is kind of dangerous for us children, after all." Kuroe said. "But hey, you got what you wanted. But is your experiment effective?"

"Sis hasn't tried it yet…." Yuu mumbled, a bit disappointed about it.

"Really? I thought she already tried after you walloped her hand so hard that I swore it got all red and swollen." Kuroe pointed out while kind of also teasing his friend after he snickered a bit after saying.

"Ghh…not funny, you meanie!" Yuu cried out before pouting.

"But she still has the bottle, right?"

"Well…, yeah I guess." Yuu replied with uncertainty. "But I really swear she still has it."

"You sound like you're just trying to convince yourself…." Kuroe said with a sweatdrop before the teacher of their class entered, making him return to his seat, leaving Yuu still wondering if Nitroplus still has the potion that she made for her.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Dorfa Main Hall….

Nitroplus was busy looking at a glass bottle filled with clear liquid as she stands waiting at the front door of the Main Hall for the person who will accompany her to her next mission.

"Well, well. So it's you who is coming with me, huh."

When Nitroplus looked to see who talked with a smug tone in the voice, there she saw the person who will accompany her.

There by the door stands a young, fair-skinned man with menacing red eyes and a confident smile on his face. His unkempt, spiked hair is colored blue-grey and has some strands hanging into his face. His attire consists of a zippered, black waistcoat with two diagonal running belts which are colored black with silver buckles. Furthermore, his waistcoat is partly covered by a white colored jacket which has a very wide collar and silver clasps that are attached to black, square surfaces on the jacket. Moreover, the sleeves of the jacket are colored black and the right one has some silver spikes attached to it, making his style somewhat punk-inspired. Additionally, he wears a black necklace with a noticeable, silver ornament which resembles a belt buckle and two black gloves that have some metal surfaces and spikes. On his right arm he also wears a metal bracer which is affixed to his arm with white strings. Apart from that, he wears a noticeable belt which has a long, silver chain attached to one of his buckles.

"So, it's the rookie who will accompany me this time, huh." Nitroplus mentioned as she tucks away the glass bottle into her small medicine bag belted on her waist. "Sherman already gave up on you? How very unlikely of him."

"More like the general wished for this temporary partner swap."

When the two looked inside the door, there stands Paiga, General Hanagata's head staff officer.

"Oh? Why so, sir Paiga?" Asked Nitroplus.

"Heh. That bastard is too weak for me, if you ask me." Said the guy who is going to be partnered with Nitroplus. "That Sherman guy is too full of compassion in his small head. Pathetic and crap."

"Mind your tongue, Zenke!" Paiga can't help but utter loudly.

"You watch your tongue, old man. Or I might not help myself and cut it off from that stupid mouth of yours…!" Said the person named Zenke in a cunning manner, making Paiga fall silent in sudden fear.

But Nitroplus wasn't fazed by this new recruit of theirs and gave him a slap in the face.

"You really have quite the nerve saying such crap to anyone, huh." Nitroplus said calmly but seriously. "Know your place, rookie."

But Zenke looked back at Nitroplus with a menacing expression after the girl slapped him hard in the cheek.

"Oh you are so gonna die, you son of a-…"

"Enough, Zenke…!"

When the three looked, they saw Hanagata walking towards their location, in his usual calm but serious expression.

"I have already warned you not to harass your teammates, Zenke." General Hanagata said.

"Heh. Yeah, whatever." Zenke muttered as he walks away from the Main Hall towards the outside.

"You go with him now, Sachika. And make sure he does his job well." General Hanagata told Nitroplus.

"Understood, General. We will hunt down the ASIC remnants and make sure that they are eliminated." Nitroplus replied with dedication. "I shall take my leave now."

And with that, Nitroplus followed suit to wherever Zenke is going, making sure he goes to the target place and complete their objective. And as she walks, she can't help but think about this person accompanying her.

" _This guy is going to get himself killed if he keeps up this crazy antics of_ his." Nitroplus thought as she walks on. " _I bet Sherman also had a rough time dealing with Zenke._ "

But unbeknownst to the two, Sherman was watching from a window inside the building. And he doesn't seem comfortable with Zenke going with Nitroplus on her mission.

"That guy also gets on my nerves as well."

It was Marianna who talked as she is sitting on a chair, sipping some tea from a small teacup in her hand with a small saucer underneath held by her other hand.

"I don't really understand why the general took him in." Marianna muttered as she drinks tea more but with a scorn on her face.

"The general will recruit anyone who can be beneficial to Dorfa's cause, Marianna." Sherman replied. "And I can't help but say that he's a fool for just looking at people only for their worth."

"So you're saying Zenke is here with us because the general recruited him only for what he's really worth?" Marianna wondered.

"That can be the case." Sherman said calmly. "Admittedly, Zenke has the potential that can equally match one of us. But his attitude towards others is a deplorable thing for me. But I will apply maximum tolerance towards him. Although I don't know how long I can endure such person."

"Hmhm~. It's rare for you to be like this, Sherman." Marianna said with a giggle. "You may look calm now, but I can tell your boiling inside. Careful, though. Boil too much and you might just explode."

"Hmhm. No worries. I can control myself just fine, Marianna." Sherman assured his fellow Fencer. "The last thing I want is bringing down a comrade, after all. I wouldn't want to compromise the plans of Dorfa to expand to the outer regions of the Eastern continent by making such scandalous things."

"But if you ask me, having Zenke within our ranks is scandalous enough."

But instead of replying back to Marianna's retort, Sherman resumes looking at the window in silence.

"Where are they headed again?" Sherman asked, breaking the silence.

"Who? Nitroplus and Zenke? Their mission I believe is to eliminate the ASIC remnants spotted at the abandoned factory east of Dorfa." Marianna answered.

"I see. Thank you, Marianna." Sherman muttered as he heads straight out of the room.

"Gonna follow them?"

Sherman only took a glance at Marianna before answering with a smile.

"Just going to make sure that he doesn't do anything bad to our young Sachika Kibagahara."

* * *

And as more than two hours has passed, a few miles away from Dorfa, an abandoned factory can be seen on the outskirts of the neighboring Zelwinds city. However today, it's more than just abandoned now. Half of this factory is now under ruins after the duo of Nitroplus and Zenke infiltrated the place and eliminated the terrorists perched inside the abandoned factory. It seems that the ASIC remnants put up a difficult fight for the Fencers for half of the factory to turn into ruins.

However, after the battle was over, Nitroplus can't help but be bothered at how Zenke mercilessly killed the terrorists to the point that they were mutilated brutally by the male Fencer. Although Nitroplus do understand that such terrorists do deserve the faith of death but even she wouldn't toy with the enemy to the point of torturing them.

"So that's how you do battle, huh Zenke." Nitroplus said to him calmly. "You take pleasure in hearing the pained screams of your enemy before killing them, huh."

Zenke then gave Nitroplus a smug look before replying in a cocky manner.

"Heh. What about you? Ain't burning them alive with your…noble flames not torturing enough?" Zenke said while putting a sarcastic emphasis on the words noble flames.

"Well at least I don't take pleasure in killing people even if they are the enemy." Nitroplus replied, a bit irritated now. "I am unlike you who is laughing like a crazed psychopath while slashing the enemy to death with your Fury."

"Then where's the fun in just immediately killing off lives then, huh?" Zenke said in a crazed manner, making Nitroplus back away a bit in disgust. "They are the enemy anyway so at least enjoy dealing with them, right? Right?!"

"So mutilating their limbs off before slowly killing them is fun for you, huh. Disgusting." Nitroplus can't help but say it in disgust. "You're cruelty knows no bounds from the looks of it all."

But after saying that to him, Zenke fell silent while looking at Nitroplus with a scorned look.

"Anyway, our mission is done. The threat of ASIC remnants roaming about near Zelwinds city and Dorfa has been dealt with. Let's head back and report, Zenke."

"You know what…, Della mentioned something to me just now." Zenke mentioned as he looked at Nitroplus with an expression of utter cruelty.

"Della? Who is De-…"

But Nitroplus wasn't able to complete her question when she quickly dodged a sudden slash attack from Zenke's sword after she turned around to look at the guy.

"Wh-why would you attack me, Zenke?!" Shouted Nitroplus at him.

"Heh. Nice dodge. But not fast enough in my opinion." Zenke said as he licked off something fro the blade of his sword.

"B-blood…?" Nitroplus mentioned as she noticed. And at that point is where she suddenly felt her left arm got numb all of a sudden. And when she looked, she was so surprised to see a deep slash wound on her left arm, her blood heavily oozing out from the laceration.

"Wh-what the…?"

"Heh. That's for slapping me earlier, you whore." Zenke said while wearing a grin that looks like he's not yet done in dealing with Nitroplus.

Nitroplus then tries to raise her wounded arm but to no avail. It was so numb that her left hand relaxed and unwillingly lets go of her silver handgun. Because of that, Nitroplus can't help but be frustrated at her companion. But she also can't help but fear him as well. For as far as her memory goes, she has never encountered someone as crazy and psychopathic as the Fencer that is in front of him.

"Hahahahahaha! I can see the fear in your eyes, my great upperclassman." Zenke said with sarcasm and zest. "No worries. I'll make sure to report our success here. But as for you…."

Zenke then seems to emanate an ominous aura in him as he prepares to attack Nitroplus more.

"…, after that cute slap of yours plus your petty lectures, I can't help but desire to put the hurt on you even more! Don't blame me if you get killed!"

And after saying his piece, Zenke then swiftly charges at Nitroplus with an obvious intent of dealing fatal damage on the girl Fencer.

Only using her right hand to defend herself using her Fury, Nitroplus parried Zenke's swift slashes. Although Nitroplus is used with just using only her right hand to swing and slash her sword, she still finds it difficult to fend off Zenke due to her numb left arm swinging lazily on her left side, making her balance offset.

"Hahahaha! Where's your luster now, huh?!" Zenke taunted as he maniacally slashes his sword on the girl. However, the further the exchange of blows from both their weapons, the more Nitroplus receives injuries. Fortunately for her, the cuts she's receiving were only quite shallow, but she can slowly feel the effects of Zenke's attacks like what happened to her left arm.

" _Ghh…I can't shake him off in this state…!_ " Nitroplus thought in her mind as she continues to struggle in defending against the tirade of attacks from Zenke. " _My body is wearing out from whatever effect his sword has everytime he deals damage on me….! Doesn't he get tired from all this? He looks like he's using up all the energy he has on these swift attacks…! I have to push him away…!_ "

"Come on! Just die already!" Zenke yelled in a frenzy as he continues to attack Nitroplus. "No worries. I will make sure that they will consider you a hero once they learn that you got killed in action!"

"Not gonna happen, jackass!" Nitroplus shouted as she poured in all of her energy on her sword, igniting it with her usual flames. "Haaaaaa!"

And with one swing full of force, Nitroplus was able to push away Zenke, catching the crazed Fencer by surprise as he staggered back.

"Take this!" Nitroplus shouted as she swings her sword sideways to fire several projectiles made of fire towards Zenke.

"Hah! Too easy!" Zenke taunted as he slashes down the projectiles, making them explode quite violently. Zenke was prepared for this effect, however, as he managed to maintain a distance while destroying Nitroplus' projectiles.

As the smoke cleared, Zenke found out that Nitroplus was no longer in his sight. He looked around to see if she hadn't gotten far but, unfortunately for him, Nitroplus was no longer in his sights.

"Well now. She escaped." Snickered Zenke in a comical manner.

" _Hmhm~. I can just trace her for you. I can smell her blood for even a mile from here._ "

"Heh. You always know what to do, huh Della." Zenke said as he talked to his Fury named Della who is still in weapon form.

" _Just make sure I'm fully entertained like earlier….~_ " Della told Zenke in a cunning way. " _I can sense her running towards the forest just before Sol Plains._ "

"Heh…." Zenke snickered once more before looking at the direction where his Fury pointed out. "I see that you wanna have some fun more, huh."

" _Oh, you know me….~_ "

"Very well, then." Zenke muttered cynically as if he's about to hunt down the biggest game of his entire life. "Let's go hunt down some upperclassman and have fun along with it…."

To be continued….


	12. Chapter 11 - Comrades in Arms

Chapter Eleven – Comrades in Arms

Back at the Main Hall of Dorfa….

Marianna was about to knock at the door of the office of General Hanagata when she overheard a conversation happening inside the room. As much as she doesn't want to listen, she can't help but to do so after she somewhat heard them talking about the new recruit.

"I'm starting to doubt that I have made the correct decision in recruiting this person you recommended." General Hanagata mentioned to someone he must be talking to as a Marianna continues to listen closely by the door.

"Hmhm. But even I also said the same thing to you before when you suddenly recruited the amnesiac girl who just got stranded on our shores while carrying a toddler." Said another person who seems to be a man. This person seems to also have a calm voice even though his words were delivered with a serious tone.

"But the girl truly has potential, as you can see. Sherman mentioned how Sachika helped the nation of Leanbox win against the onslaught of forces from the followers of the vile goddess Arfoire. And seeing her combat skills now despite having memory loss is proof enough that she's a capable fighter." Hanagata mentioned calmly.

"The same goes for the new recruit, General." The other man said. "Zenke too is more than a capable fighter. The boy can also bring about countless victory for Dorfa when the need arises."

"I believe I know what you mean by when the need arises but I assure you war is the last thing that Dorfa would escort to if it wants to expand further on the Eastern continent." Hanagata said to clear things up. "But the boy's attitude towards his fellow men is deplorable even for me."

"Not to worry, General. I will personally approach Zenke and tell him to change his ways towards the personnel and the people of our beloved city." The other man assured to Hanagata.

"You better be. As the defense minister of Dorfa and my personal aid, I entrust to you the proper disciplining of the new recruit." General Hanagata ordered to the other person, sounding a bit stern now.

"But didn't Leanbox did a search for the missing girl back then?" The man mentioned.

"Yes. And when their search party reached our shores, I told our men to tell the searchers that no such person has been washed ashore here."

"Yes. I remember how we concealed the truth to the second most powerful nation of Gamindustri." The man can't help but mention with a tinge of sarcasm.

"And I did it so that I am able to add a powerful Fencer among our ranks." Hanagata said, sounding even more stern now. "I advise for now that you leave me be and deal with that recruit of yours."

"As you say, General." The man said before doing a polite bow and walking towards the door.

And after hearing the person approach the door, Marianna immediately scrambled back away from the door. As the man who spoke with Hanagata opens the door, Marianna made herself look like she just got there, making sure there is no awkwardness in her movement.

"Why hello there, miss Mariano." Greeted the man. The man has a pale face but clearly shows his confidence and belief in his own superiority while he carries a sly grin. His white hair is long and straight and he wears a crested, black robe with golden buttons and some silver ornaments. "Going to talk with the general?"

"Uhm…, yes I am. I will just inform him of my whereabouts later, Minister Bernard." Marianna replied.

"Hm. Very well." Muttered the man named Bernard before stepping aside and gesturing at the door for Marianna to enter.

"Uh…thank you, Minister Bernard." Marianna said before entering the office. But before Bernard left the place though, he first looked at the closed door for a moment. Then after pausing for a moment, he let out a slight snicker before walking away.

* * *

Meanwhile….

*huff* *huff*

Nitroplus was catching her breath so hard as she leans on a big tree to rest. For as much as she wants to fight Zenke to discipline him, she can't possibly do so right now if it weren't for her numb left arm. Adding to her fatigue is the slow paralyzing effect that courses through her body from the shallow cuts she received from Zenke's attacks.

"Damn it…. That guy is out of his mind…." Nitroplus muttered through her gasping breath as she reaches out for her medicine pouch. But unfortunately for Nitroplus, she discovered a frightening truth.

"Gh…! No…! My medicine pouch…. It's been torn open…!" Nitroplus muttered in fright as she found out. None of her healing pods were left in her torn open pouch. Even Yuu's small bottle of potion wasn't there either. "Tch…. What did I do to deserve this unfortunate luck…? Did Yuu asked for divine retribution after I gave her punishment…?"

As she wondered what to do next….

 ***Crash!***

Unexpected by Nitroplus, a sword suddenly pierced through the tree she is currently leaning. The tree was thick enough. However, the tip of the sword still managed to lightly stab her on the back, making it bleed a bit. But that's not what worries her the most, though.

"Gh…m-my body…."

The numbness suddenly courses through her body, enough to make her body feel sluggish and weak.

"Heh. I found the little rat…."

And as Nitroplus leans back on the tree to support herself before she completely gets overwhelmed by the numbness, she saw Zenke walk past her place before the guy settled to stand a few feet in front of her.

"What's the matter, huh? Feeling weak?" Zenke said with humor and sarcasm.

"Wh-why are you…gh…doing this…?" Nitroplus said weakly her body grows numb more. "We're fellow Fencers of Dorfa…. Why go to this extent just to get back at me for…gh…slapping you…?"

"Heh. Fellow Fencer. Yeah, so what if we're…comrades in arms, huh?" Zenke said cunningly. "That doesn't mean I have to be nice to everyone, right? Now where's the fun in that?!"

"You're a madman…!" Nitroplus managed to yell at Zenke.

"Hah! Yeah, I get that a lot." Zenke said with cunning humor. "But that doesn't stop me from having my fun dealing with you…."

Nitroplus was really fuming with rage inside her. She really wants to put the hurt on Zenke so bad. But as much as she wants to move, her limbs are just really numb right now. And slowly, she can also feel the numbness crawling towards her body now.

"By the way, looking for this…?" Zenke said before gesturing on an item on his hand.

"?! Th-that is…?!"

Zenke was holding a small bottle of energy drink with a label made of paper and tape, where written on it is Yuu's messy handwriting saying it's a healing potion.

"Give that back…!" Nitroplus muttered weakly. "That is given to me by my sister…!"

"Really now? This~?" Zenke said in a cruelly teasing manner. "Well I only saw this fall off from that pouch of yours along with some of those green capsules. Heh, figuring out that it's your way of healing yourself, I find it pleasurable to burn them for you."

"?! You…what…?!" Nitroplus yelled in dismay. They are still too far off from the any of the two cities nearby so going there for treatment is already proven difficult with her current condition. And as she sits there helpless, Nitroplus can't help but get scared at this psychopath Fencer. She really feels like she's going to die not because of her sustained injuries, but she may die by the hands of Zenke. She can live even when her entire body is numb as long as her brain doesn't get physically damaged and wait for until the numb effect wears off. But it seems like though Zenke wouldn't allow her to wait that long. The guy is really emitting an aura of death in him.

"Heh. I don't think leaving you here would justify my satisfaction to hurt you. Oh no…!" Zenke said in zest. "Might as well end your journey here…?"

"Gh…! No…please don't…!" Nitroplus can't help but plead to Zenke in fear for her life. As much as she doesn't want to, she's completely helpless against the manic Fencer. If she wasn't caught completely off guard earlier, this may not have happened to her.

"Heh. Time to go now, 'teammate'." Zenke uttered with threatening words as he readied his sword to slice down Nitroplus.

However, as he was about to strike down Nitroplus….

"Not gonna happen…!"

 ***CLANG!***

And with a sound of metal clashing with metal, when Nitroplus looked up to see what is going on, there she saw Sherman standing where Zenke was standing earlier, with his sword in hand.

"Sh-sherman…?"

"Good thing I followed. Or else we might not see you return home, miss Nitroplus." Sherman said calmly.

"Heh. Well well. Knight in white, shining armor, I presume?" Zenke muttered with sarcasm. He was quick enough to parry and dodge the attack of Sherman, though. "Heh. You thought you could surprise attack me, huh!"

"No problem. I was after this, anyway." Sherman mentioned as he showed a small bottle in his free hand.

"Wha-?! How did you…?!" Zenke said in shock as he looked at his now empty, free hand.

"You have always been proud of your agility and speed in battle, Zenke. But I agree on that." Sherman said as he kneeled down beside Nitroplus to give her aid. "But not fast enough for me, sadly."

"Tch…! Why you cocky bastard…!" Zenke grumbled in frustration as he suddenly felt like Sherman humiliated him.

"Here, miss Nitroplus. Take this." Sherman said as he gently shoved a healing pod medicine into Nitroplus' mouth.

While it did healed some of Nitroplus' injuries, it somehow didn't do it very effectively however as Nitroplus is still feeling numb and still injured on most parts where Zenke landed a hit.

"Hmm. Seems healing pods have become ineffective on your body now." Sherman mentioned. "Your body must be evolving fast."

"Gh…so there's nothing for me to use, then…?" Nitroplus mentioned, feeling depressed to what she just heard while still trying her best to stay awake despite her body slowly becoming numb thanks to the effects from Zenke's attacks.

"Maybe this will work?" Sherman said, indicating the small bottle in his hand.

"Heh….that's just some concoction Yuu brewed for me…." Nitroplus muttered, trying to at least smile after seeing the small bottle given to her by Yuu. "I think it's made of healing herbs, yellow petals and some….dogoo jelly…?"

"Who knows, it could work." Sherman said as he twisted the bottle cap open. "If it does work, then your sister has discovered quite a medicinal brew."

"Grr…don't freaking ignore me, bastard!"shouted as he charges to attack the two.

But out of the blue, Ryushin intervened and blocked Zenke's path towards Sherman and Nitroplus.

"Tch…! So you want to be slaughtered first before your Fencer master, I see!" Zenke said as he proceeded to attack Ryushin first. "So be it!"

 ***BLAM!***

To Zenke's surprise though, he found himself being blasted away by Ryushin as the mechanical fairy used some sort of none lethal sound waves to push Zenke away.

"What the…?!" Zenke blurted out in surprise as he scrambles to get up.

" _That fairy can perform defense magic on it's own, I see._ " Muttered Zenke's fairy, Della. " _Tch. But nothing my abilities can't handle. Hey, Zenke, use me properly why don't you?!_ "

"What do think I'm doing, then?!" Zenke shouted at his fairy partner in Fury form as the two begins to argue.

"Seems Zenke is in a heated argument with his partner." Sherman mentioned as he had just finished helping Nitroplus drink the concoction Yuu made for her.

And to Nitroplus' surprise, she suddenly felt the numbness disappear from her body. But not only that, she can also feel her wounds patch themselves up quickly. Bitter tasting it may be, but Yuu's experimental concoction actually worked on Nitroplus.

"Whoa. It actually worked…?" Nitroplus said after she gets up like nothing happened to her.

"Then little Yuu made quite the discovery, didn't she?" Sherman said, glad that the potion worked.

"Grr…! Now you've done it!" Zenke yelled as he used his agility to quickly maneuver around Ryushin to directly attack the two behind the mechanical fairy.

However, Ryushin was even quicker than he is. Ryushin was able to grab hold of Zenke and immediately subdued him by locking Zenke's arms behind his back.

"Graaah! Let go of me, you piece of sh*t!" Zenke demanded as he struggled to break free from Ryushin's metallic grasp.

"That is quite enough from you, Zenke." Sherman said, sounding stern towards the subdued man. "Stop this nonsense at once. You're habits of pleasing yourself by seeing others suffer must end this instant. I may be forgiving today but I can assure you that I won't be the next time you act like this again."

"Heh. Like I'm going to listen to a know it all like you…!" Zenke snickered before letting his Fury revert back into fairy form.

"Back off you tin can!" Della shouted as she slashes on Ryushin. Since he is holding on to Zenke, he wasn't able to quickly maneuver away and got hit by the attack, staggering Ryushin. And because of that, Zenke was able to break free.

"Not done yet with you bastards!" Zenke yelled as he quickly made Della turn into a Fury again to attack. "Take this, b**ches!"

 ***CLANG!***

"?! Tch…!"

"Hmph…!"

It was Nitroplus who swiftly parried Zenke's attack to prevent him from slashing on a staggered Ryushin.

"Grrr…! You little b**ch!" Zenke cursed as he used his great agility to maniacally slash his sword on Nitroplus.

Unfortunately for him though, Nitroplus was no longer incapacitated like earlier. She is now in fighting condition so well that she can easily parry and retaliate every attack Zenke throws at her.

"Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" Zenke kept on yelling as he realized none of his sword attacks aren't getting through.

"Miss Nitroplus, stand aside." Sherman said.

Catching up with Sherman's plan, with one strong swing of her flaming sword, Nitroplus was able to push and stagger Zenke away from her.

"Now!"

With a snap of his fingers, he procured a small magic circle in his hands before muttering some sort of one word incantation.

" _Convergence._ "

And out of the blue, Zenke got surrounded by rings of light that is rapidly absorbing light around him. And before Zenke could even react….

 ***BOOM!***

"GAAAAH!"

Sudden explosions occurred around Zenke, damaging him so bad that he wasn't able to stand still and falls to the ground.

"D-damn…you…." Zenke managed to utter before losing consciousness, his Fury also laying there beside him, damaged as well.

"D-did you just…?" Nitroplus asked without completing her question due to surprise.

"If you are thinking that he's dead, then you're wrong." Sherman replied calmly with a smile. "I did held back my powers there. Although I have to say that he's the one incapacitated now."

"Hehe. Yeah, true." Nitroplus agreed with a grin. "But honestly if it weren't for you, I think he may have killed me then. So I thank you for that."

"Anything for a comrade in arms." Sherman replied with gratitude. "Well I am becoming concerned about his behavior. So that's why I followed your tracks. And I was glad I did."

"He seemed surprised by that attack of yours, though." Nitroplus wondered. "Wasn't he with you before you decided to ditch him as your partner?"

"Hahahaha. Ditch, huh. Well, you could say that." Sherman replied with a hearty laugh. "Well as for the attack I did, let's just say I didn't showed to him everything in my arsenal while we were a tandem."

"I see." Nitroplus simply said before looking at the unconscious Fencer. "So, what do we say about him?"

"I say we tell the truth. That should discipline him after he receives his penalties." Sherman replied.

"Well I'm not carrying him, though." Nitroplus mentioned as she starts to walk away back to the road that heads to their city.

"No worries. I will let Ryushin carry him."

And when they got back, Zenke got sentenced to be suspended from any activities regarding Fencer quests while being ordered to be confined to his quarters for three months with his Fury confiscated and locked in where no fairy can break out.

To be continued….


	13. Chapter 12 - A Day at the Arcade

Chapter Twelve – A Day at the Arcade

It was a very cloudy weekend afternoon that time. So cloudy that news reports indicate that chances of rain are big in the afternoon up until evening. And so because of the gloomy weather, some city folks' mood are affected as well.

"Woo-hoo~!"

However, the bad weather conditions didn't put down the mood of a certain cheerful girl.

"It worked~! It worked~! I can't believe it worked~!" Yuu kept on screaming in joy as she happily runs towards the orphanage to tell the good news to her friend, Kuroe.

And after a few minutes of running and zigzagging across people, Yuu finally arrived at the entrance of the orphanage. But she didn't immediately entered as she catches her breath first after running that far.

"Hey. You're that girl who is always with that loner boy."

When Yuu looked up to see who talked, she saw a random young girl with short hair standing by the entrance of the orphanage, holding a piece of half eaten bread roll with chocolate filling in her hand as she seems to be eating it when Yuu suddenly arrives panting.

"Well, uh…it's true that I tease him that sometimes but if he's with me, can you still call him a loner?" Yuu said after recovering her breath.

"Fair point…." Said the girl before taking another bite off her bread.

"So, is my good buddy inside his dormitory?" Yuu asked.

"Hmm…. I saw him leave just a few minutes ago before you got here." The girl answered as she chews. "When I got kinda curious as to where he is going, he just answered with one word: The Arcade."

"Uh…that's two words, actually." Yuu pointed out to the girl. "But oh~! Must be the arcade at the marketplace. Thanks for the info miss I-don't-know-what-your-name-is~!" She added before running again towards the direction of the marketplace.

"Miss would have been fine, though…."

* * *

At the only gaming arcade establishment around Dorfa….

Kuroe was already busy playing on one of the arcade games there; some sort of shooting game. A first-person, on-rails, light gun shooter to be exact. And it is one of those new kinds of machines to arrive on this certain arcade place that came from the Northern Continent made by a popular company.

"Tch…. Darn it. I can't really get past this level…." Kuroe hissed as he takes out another arcade game token from his pocket and inserts it on the token coin slot before grabbing the gun of the arcade machine. "Okay…. One more try."

"There you are~!"

"Gaaaah!" Kuroe screamed in surprise, almost dropping the gun of the machine.

"Whoopsies~. Careful now, Kuroe. You don't wanna break that expensive thing now, do you?" Yuu mentioned as goes near her friend.

"Grr…. I could've dropped it if it weren't for you surprising me, Yuu!" Kuroe told her before going back to his game.

"Well this is a new machine." Yuu mentioned as she scans the arcade machine Kuroe is busy playing at. "Timed Catastrophe, huh."

"Anyway, gonna play some games too?"

"I will later. But for now I have some news for you, Kuroe." Yuu told her friend while sounding a bit smug and proud.

"Hm? What is it?" Kuroe asked as he plays, not sounding curious at all. Fortunately for him, Yuu didn't noticed this and went on.

"The potion we made out of Dogoo jelly worked on sis~!" Yuu announced with glee.

"Eh? Really?!" Kuroe said in surprise. He was so surprised though that he didn't realized his game was over.

"Yeah! She told me that after getting hurt during her mission yesterday." Yuu told her friend. "She even said it immediately took effect after she drank it in one gulp!"

"Whoa…. That was unexpected even for me." Kuroe said, still amazed that the random concoction he and Yuu made actually worked.

"Yeah~! And I even got praises from her~." Yuu said bashfully. "Now that only means that we get to brew some batch for sis from now on~!"

"Eh…? I'm included?" Kuroe said, not sounding motivated at all. When he turned to his game though, then he just realized that his game was already over after not playing it for a while. "Now you owe me a token."

"Yeah, yeah. But you're still gonna help me make Nepbull, Kuroe." Yuu said before heading to the cashier to exchange some of her credits into arcade tokens.

"Wait…what? Nepbull?" Kuroe asked in confusion.

"Yup. That's the name of the potion." Yuu said after taking her tokens while looking at a leaflet on the counter. "I took the first three letters of my favorite twinkling star above plus half the name of a popular pick-me-up beverage. Neat, right~?"

"More like you've stepped in into something patented there, Yuu." Kuroe said with a sweatdrop.

"Ooh~. Kuroe! Let's play Timed Catastrophe together~!" Yuu suddenly blurted out.

"Hmm? Why so?"

But Yuu only pointed out excitedly what was in the leaflet.

"Hmm. Earn two hundred and fifty thousand points in the game and receive a lottery ticket for a chance to win the grand prize." Kuroe reads on the leaflet. "And the grand prize is…. Wait, seriously?"

"Go on~! Read it further~!" Yuu insisted excitedly.

"Be the first from the Eastern continent to own the Southern continent's latest gaming hardware personally developed by the CPU of Leanbox, the Leanbox X1 console; The updated version of the decade old Cross128 console, huh." Kuroe said after reading the leaflet.

"So? Shall we give it a go, partner~?" Yuu asked.

"So if we accumulate two hundred and fifty thousand points on Timed Catastrophe, we will receive a lottery ticket to get a chance to win the grand prize?" Kuroe asked the male arcade store clerk, ignoring what Yuu just said.

"Why yes, you can." The store clerk replied. "But want to know the best part?"

"Oh? What is it?" Yuu asked instead of Kuroe.

"The CPU of Leanbox will personally present the prize to the winner once her state visit to Dorfa happens in the next two weeks." The store clerk answered.

"What?! For reals~?! The big shot of the South will really do it?!" Yuu bellowed in excitement. "And she even chose to give it as a raffle on this very arcade place?! How random is that~!"

"Th-that is correct, young lady." The store clerk answered, feeling a bit awkward due to Yuu's reaction. "Plus you don't really need to clear the game to win. Just accumulate the needed points and you're qualified to receive a lottery ticket to get a chance to spin our roulette and win the grand prize."

"Heh. I don't mind having that powerful of a gaming console."Kuroe said. "So, what do you say Yuu? Wanna compete for it?"

"Eh? We aren't gonna play together?" Yuu asked, baffled with what Kuroe said.

"Timed Catastrophe does have a two player option. You can play together and accumulate the required points faster." The store clerk advised to them.

"Nah. I'd rather we increase our odds of winning the grand prize by playing it individually. Right, Yuu?"

"Ooh~. I like that idea, Kuroe." Yuu replied in agreement. "Two hundred and fifty thousand points is an easy target for any kind of game. Hehehe~"

And so the two played on to their hearts content.

After more than half an hour later of numerous attempts though…

"Done! Make that two hundred and eighty seven thousand and three hundred points!" Kuroe said in victory. He didn't finished the game though after encountering the difficult level of the game.

"No fair, Kuroe." Yuu said while pouting as she finds it difficult to accumulate higher points. "You can easily deal headshots at the enemy while I can't."

"Not my fault that I have a keen eyesight." Kuroe said while sounding a bit smug.

"Well sorry for not being a gunslinger like you, Kuroe." Yuu said, a bit upset.

"Jeez…fine let me help you then."

And after another two attempts from Yuu, with the aiming assistance from Kuroe, she was finally able to accumulate the necessary points to claim a lottery ticket.

"Congratulations. You two have earned one lottery tickets each." Said the store clerk from earlier as he gives Yuu and Kuroe their tickets.

"Wow. They're allowing kids to play the lottery nowadays, huh." Yuu randomly muttered as she looks at her ticket.

"Well this is not the kind of lottery that involves winning huge amounts of money, anyways." Kuroe responded with a sweatdrop.

"Would like to try your luck with the roulette now, you two?" The store clerk asked. "The roulette contains tiny white balls inside. And also a few gold balls. In order to win the grand prize, you must make the gold ball to get out of the roulette by spinning it."

"Oh! Me first!" Yuu volunteered as she hands over her ticket before grasping the handle of the roulette and spins it gently but fast with her eyes closed. "Come on….Oh my guiding star, Neptune, please make me win….~"

*Clunk*

"Ah."

And when Yuu opened her eyes….

"A white ball. You get a consolation prize, miss." The store clerk announced as he hands over some sort of card to Yuu.

"Hey, a rewards card. Not bad. Accumulate points and you can use that to claim gaming tokens." Kuroe told Yuu, who sadly fell into her knees in utter disappointment.

"Why…? My guiding star has failed me….? Forsaken me…." Yuu cried out in dismay.

"Uh…it's just a star with a name, Yuu…. Don't blame it…." Kuroe interjected with a sweatdrop.

"Your turn now?" The store clerk asked Kuroe.

"Yeah, I guess."

Kuroe then handed over his ticket before spinning the roulette.

"With only very few gold balls inside this, heh, it would be a miracle if I ever get one." Kuroe muttered as he keeps spinning the roulette until a ball falls out from it.

*Clunk*

"Oh. Well…how about that." Kuroe said calmly.

And out of the blue, the store clerk rings a small bell on his hand, attracting the attention of other people who are playing at the arcade.

"Congratulations! We have a grand prize winner!"

"WHAAAT?!" Yuu shouted in surprise. When she looked at the roulette, there indeed was a small gold ball there.

"Here you go. Just fill out this stub with your complete name and other information indicated. Make sure you keep your copy of the stub to claim your prize from Lady Green Heart when she comes to our city this month." The store clerk told Kuroe.

"Heh. Sure thing." Kuroe replied while filling out the claiming stubs.

"No fair…." Yuu mumbled quietly.

"Oh come on, Yuu. Cheer up." Kuroe said to encourage the girl as he had finished filling out the stubs. He then suddenly looked away from her while blushing a hit and slightly scratches his cheek. "If you want…you can…uh…come visit and play with me…. If you want, that is."

"Aw, really~? You're the best, my greatest buddy of mine~!" Yuu blurted out excitedly as she gave Kuroe a tight hug, making the boy blush a lot.

"H-hey, what gives, Yuu?! Jeez, don't just suddenly hug me…!" Kuroe embarrassingly said.

"Whoops. Sorry~. Got carried away there." Yuu said before letting go of Kuroe. "And also, could you take me with you when you claim the prize? I kinda want to meet the CPU of Leanbox in person too."

"Uh…yeah, I guess you can." Kuroe replied as he tucks away his claiming stub on his pocket. "Anyway, let's head out now. I'm kind of getting hungry."

"Yeah! Snack time~!" Yuu cheered on as she and Kuroe heads for the exit of the establishment.

 ***Whoosh!***

"Ah."

"Oh."

When they got there, however, it suddenly started raining down hard.

"I guess…we're stranded here for a while…." Kuroe said plainly.

"Uh…I guess." Yuu replied plainly too.

"Got an umbrella, Yuu...?"

"Nope. I don't have one…. What about you, Kuroe…?"

"Nope. No umbrella either…."

"Oh."

"…."

"Wanna play some more Timed Catastrophe…?" Kuroe asked.

"Uh…nah. Too much catastrophe for me already in just a short amount of time…." Yuu replied plainly with a blank expression on her face.

To be continued….


	14. Chapter 13 - A Nighttime Meeting

Chapter Thirteen – A Nighttime Meeting

The day of the CPU of Leanbox's visit to the Eastern continent is almost near now. And her purpose of visiting there is to boost ties with the various, independent cities that reside on the continent, some of which Leanbox is already allied with in terms of trade.

Leanbox's last stop, however, is the city of Dorfa. The reason is that it will do more than just visiting there. Leanbox will also promote a lot of businesses there and that includes introducing an even larger investment for Dorfa's gaming industry. The CPU of Leanbox also wants to personally introduce her own hardware based on the outgoing Cross 128 console that was previously developed by their Research and Development team. And she will introduce it via a special convention that is to be done in front of the city's Main Hall.

It has been over a week now since the city has set up preparations for the upcoming visit, especially at the Main Hall. The general has also advised his defense force to be on heightened alert during the visit.

However, while others are busy with the preparations….

"You had one simple task, Zenke, and you failed miserably."

"Shut it…. I do things my own way. I don't need orders from anyone else including you."

The scene is in a small, narrow prison cell with no windows and with only a cushion and a small table near it. It is a prison located at the basement of the Main Hall and one if it it's cells is occupied by none other than the Fencer who got considered as rogue: Zenke. And the one talking to him is none other than the defense minister of Dorfa: Bernard.

"We only require a vessel, Zenke. A vessel to use to revive the disciple of the vile goddess." Bernard told Zenke quietly. "But I never said that you take action immediately. Now look what happened. Our plan got compromised."

"Why do we need to revive someone who already got defeated by the CPU anyway?" Zenke asked as he continues to lie down on his cushion with arms underneath his head as if he's completely relaxed despite his current standing.

"Because she is the only one capable of reviving the vile goddess as of now…!" Bernard can't help but raise his voice a bit. Fortunately for him, there was no one around there after he ordered the guards to leave them be for a moment. "The disciple, lady Magic, is our only key in reviving our dear goddess…."

"But really? Revive the dead back?" Zenke asked with sarcasm. "But didn't she got eradicated by the CPU of Leanbox? As in nothing left in her physical body?"

"True. She was completely annihilated during their battle at the Western continent." Bernard said to clarify. "However, the disciple was clever enough to device a backup plan."

"A backup plan, huh." Zenke repeated. "So in short, she expected her ass to get kicked by the CPU, eh?"

"Not accurately true, Zenke." Bernard said. "I was there along with other followers when she talked about our impending defeat after she felt our three strong felons slowly but surely fell and met their demise. However, what she didn't told to all of us was this backup plan of hers."

"Hm? And that would be?"

"The disciple has concealed a part of her dark soul within a piece of dark shard." Bernard answered. "Everyone thought that she has used both shards on herself and against the CPU. But what a fellow follower has told me that the disciple has cut an already small piece of shard into half and she used that against the CPU while keeping the other one safe."

"Heh. No wonder she got herself killed." Zenke muttered in humorous disbelief. "Instead of using the whole shard against the CPU, she held back and got herself killed."

"Alas, it already happened." Bernard lamented. "However, I do believe that the reason for her actions is that lady Magic was confident in defeating the patron of Celestia for the CPU got badly weakened during their battle. What she failed to see… is the true potential of Fencers."

"Oh?"

"As I can remember, the soul of the first disciple, the leader of the Legion, was split into four." Bernard recalls. "One of them possessed a true follower of the vile goddess; an unnamed woman who became the second disciple, lady Magic. And the rest of the remaining souls, lady Magic used them to give three Furies their own physical forms. True that it gave the weapons independence and strength, but even with dark souls possessing them, they still proved weak against the powers of a Fencer wielding a Fury. Hence, their defeat."

Bernard then paused for a moment to look at the imprisoned man because Zenke seems uninterested in listening to his words anymore.

"Hmm…. Very well, then. Seems your uninterested in my objectives that could benefit even the likes of you." Bernard said calmly but obviously coldly. "So be it. Although sadly, you won't be able to enjoy the spectacle that will occur next week since you will still remain…confined here."

"Hmph. Who cares about a damn convention? I certainly am not." Zenke said coldly.

"Hmhm. I'm not talking about the convention." Bernard clarified before turning his back on Zenke and started walking out of his cell. "Now excuse me. I have to meet someone."

"And also, why not use that girl named Marianna as the vessel?" Zenke suddenly asked before Bernard could completely leave. "Why bother with the other fencer girl? Won't any other girl do?"

Bernard then looked back at Zenke before answering his question.

"It is because miss Mariano still has her use to me. And as for using any other girl, no. Because I don't want to just use any other average human girl to revive the disciple."

And so, the defense minister of Dorfa left the rogue Fencer to his own self.

* * *

And as midnight fell, the defense minister takes his leave from the Main Hall. And when the guards ask where he was going, he just casually answers by saying he's just going to a nearby pub to have a little drink since he's having a hard time sleeping.

After a few minutes of walking, Bernard was able to reach the pub. Inside, the place has about ten round tables with about four chairs around each of them. At the center of the pub is the bar with a row of eight more chairs in front of it. There wasn't any person inside it except for a plump, old bartender on the counter and a person sitting on one of the chairs on the bar. This person is wearing a brown robe that seems to cover the entire body along with a hood, completely concealing the identity of the person.

And as Bernard goes in, he signals a gesture to the bartender indicating that he should get him his usual drink.

As he takes his seat right beside the hooded person, that person seems to have jumped off his or her seat a bit in surprise before recognizing who sat nearby.

"Hmhm. I was surprised when I heard of your whereabouts, you know." Bernard started to talk to the person beside him. "But what I am surprised about though, is the item you possess."

Then the hooded person gave off a big sigh before replying.

"Yeah, I freaking know. It's not really easy being in hiding for too long especially that some of our brethren are being killed one by one. And also, is it really okay to talk about this here? I mean it's clear but, you know, you never know."

"Relax. The owner of this pub is also a fellow brethren of our cause." Bernard told the person in assurance. "So you can put down your hood if you like. At least we can do a better conversation if I can see your face."

"Seriously? *sigh* Fine, then." Said the hooded person before lowering the hood of the robe.

"Hmhm. Look at you. A decade has passed and you never changed looks now, huh Linda."

"Well you look swell, Bernard." The hooded girl named Linda replied with smugness. "To think that you'd get a government position here. What trickery did you do, eh?"

"I'm just good in convincing people, Linda." Bernard replied before taking a sip on his glass that contains rum with ice.

"Heh. I wish I was like that." Linda snorted out. "A freaking decade worth of hiding in the shadows and dodging attacks from either your Fencers or the Leanbox forces…. Man, that almost drove me nuts, you know…! But I am surprised that there some of our brethren like you who are able to live freely outside and wander about. What gives?"

"Linda, you just don't know how to blend in your surroundings properly." Bernard mocked at the girl as he takes a sip off his glass containing rum. "A true follower I may be, but I never let that show obviously when there's a lot of people around. It was difficult to do so after two consecutive defeats of our legion but somehow I managed to get through without so much of a notice."

"Well I think it's because you're pretty loaded with wealth in that damn pockets of yours." Linda said with a tinge of envy. "Heck, if I were also loaded, I'd be not hiding around like a darn rat now, huh. Because the last time I hid along with some of our brethren, I almost got killed along with during a hunt…! If you ask me, I'm already beyond the freaking edge of my luck."

"Well for now, I can assure you your safety within the walls of this city." Bernard assured her. "As long as your cooperation with my plans is assured, that is."

"Cunning as ever, huh you punk." Linda mocked at Bernard. "Everyone to you is only worth it if you benefit from them."

"I'll do anything to revive our beloved goddess, Linda. And I will do so by any means possible." Bernard told Linda with pure intent. "And as of now, only you have the most use for me among our brethren, Linda."

"Heh. Is it because I have this?" Boasted Linda before taking out a sealed, small glass cylinder from her pocket. Inside it contains a tiny piece of crimson crystal shard that emanates a dark mist. But since the glass tube is sealed on the top, the mist is unable to escape.

"Yes. The piece of the dark shard containing the soul of the dark disciple." Bernard mentioned as he looks at the item in Linda's hand in awe. Even the bartender of the pub was mesmerized by the item's dark energy circling inside the small container.

"Speaking of this thing, found a vessel where we can possess this shard to?" Linda asked before tucking the small container back into her pocket.

"I almost had one. Sadly my…acquaintance failed me." Bernard mentioned with disappointment.

"Well if you ask me, any chick will do, you know." Linda said nonchalantly. "I'd have done the hunting if it were that easy. I mean, I already tried on others before but this frigging thing does not respond. Heck, I even pricked it on a girl follower who gladly volunteered to become lady Magic's new body. But, meh, her body wasn't able to handle all the power and it gave away. The broad died in front of me in an instant."

"That is why I choose the proper vessel for us to use." Bernard said. "I am fully aware that not all women can be…- what's the word…? Ah yes…, compatible for the disciples powers."

"But still, you almost managed to find someone that could be compatible?" Linda asked in curiosity.

"More like I assumed that she will do for the disciple." Bernard answered.

"So, finally decided that that Gothic broad is a suitable vessel?"

"Oh, Marianna, huh." Bernard mentioned after hearing Linda's curious question. "No, she's still quite useful for me."

"Man, it only we've met a lot earlier. We might have been able to revive lady Magic more earlier and we might have conquered this city by now. Grrr…then I might not have been hiding for more than a decade now. Rotten luck…." Linda scowled at her fate.

"Anyway, have you brought what I need, my underling?" Bernard asked, not a tone of teasing in his voice.

"S-seriously? You're calling me 'that' now?" Linda muttered, taken aback with what the defense minister just called her.

"Yes. From now on, you will work for me and under my supervision if you want to your life as an outlaw to end." Bernard declared to the baffled girl. "So again I ask, have you brought me the item I told you to look for last week?"

"Jeez. We've only met for almost two months and you're already bossing me around. Bastard…." A disgruntled Linda muttered, saying the last word with a whisper as she picks something out of her other pocket.

She then procured another small, glass container also containing a tiny piece of crimson colored, crystal shard inside. But unlike the previous one, this shard doesn't emit any dark mist. However it does glow an ominous crimson color, showing just how much dark energy is contained within such a tiny piece of crystal.

"I will have that now, thank you." Bernard muttered before suddenly yanking the small container off Linda's hand, surprising the girl.

"Tch. Well you're welcome, a**hole…." Linda hissed at the minister. "What are you going to do with that shard, anyways? I doubt that you'd use it for yourself."

"Hmhm. Actually, this a last piece of the prop needed for the…spectacle that I have prepared during the visit of the CPU." Bernard mentioned as he tucks in the small container into his pocket.

"Wait, what? You're planning on doing something bad during the visit?" Linda asked, grinning a bit after finding what Bernard said amusing.

"Hmhm. If you say it's bad, then I guess I have to agree with you on that." Bernard said as he stood up from his chair, indicating that he is about to leave. "As for you, Linda, the owner of this pub just kindly offered you a room to stay for a while. Rest here if you like, but be prepared when I require your aid or I have something for you to do. And when I do ask, you cannot object. Do I make myself clear?"

"Seriously, who are you to boss me around, huh?" Linda argued with Bernard, standing up in protest. "You may be one of the big brass of this city but you're one and the same with me, a follower of our cause! And you don't have a higher rank amongst us like I do!"

"Oh well. I guess you can just go back into hiding around small holes like the rat that you are." Bernard said coldly. "Since you're going to be like this, then I suggest that you get away from here and leave the shard with the Disciples soul in it here."

"Tch. As if I'm gonna leave it here after lady Magic entrusted me this." Linda said in defense. "Grrr…fine. I'll do as you say."

"Now that's a good underling." Bernard said before turning around to leave the place. "Cooperate, and live. But defy me, you may wish that you haven't met me at all."

"Heh. Wise guy…." Linda muttered as she sees the minister off.

And as she looks around the now empty pub, she wondered what will transpire at Dorfa during the visit of the CPU of Leanbox.

"Hmm…I wonder what kind of crazy plan that bastard has in mind. But since I'm staying here for a while, I might as well see what will happen. Heh…, it could be fun."

To be continued….


	15. Chapter 14 - The Arrival

Chapter Fourteen – The Arrival

The day of the state visit of the CPU of Leanbox has finally arrived. The streets of Dorfa are completely occupied by guards as civilians walk past by. However, what is more interesting to see at the city is the Plaza itself for it is occupied by tons of merchants on tents and booths. Some of them are local merchants but most of them are from the nation of Leanbox. These Leanbox merchants and businessmen came along with the CPU to promote their goods and make business with the locals. At the center of the Plaza stands a stage where the CPU of Leanbox will officially announce the opening of the convention and also the winner of the contest who will receive the gaming console that she herself has developed by improving the performance of the previous version of the console.

However, before the convention begins, the CPU of Leanbox along with the general of Dorfa are currently discussing about strengthening ties between the two nations and putting up investments. For Leanbox's other goals, they wish to ask Dorfa for their aid in eliminating the remaining threats that the remnants of ASIC gives. Also not to mention asking Dorfa to allow them to dock some Leanbox defense personnel on the shores of the city to assist them.

"That is very kind of you, but I feel that it is not needed, my lady." Said General Hanagata as he is currently talking with his guests inside his office at the Main Hall.

"Hmhm. I see, General. But wouldn't you like to have more reinforcements especially now that ASIC attacks have been more abundant on the Eastern continent nowadays."

The one who replied is a woman whose attire is a green and peach-colored dress, with the top being a dark green that has gold lining on it, and being sleeveless, as well as revealing a considerable portion of her cleavage, covered through a veil of sorts. She has a ribbon on her neck, which is red in color, and has detached upper-arm portions of her dress's sleeves and has frilled gloves on her hands.

And this woman is none other than the Celestial Patron Unit of Leanbox, Vert Gheytz.

"You need not worry about our safety, lady Vert. I have confidence that my guards and a handful of elite Fencers will suffice for the protection of my city." General Hanagata insisted humbly.

"If you say so, General. But relying on a few Fencers won't be enough to thwart the threat, you know." Rebutted a woman who accompanies Vert.

The other woman wears a typical uniform of a combat-ready soldier consisting of light gray combat fatigues, gloves and combat boots, and a green bullet proof vest.

"Hmhm. Well we can't force the man if he doesn't want to, Vio." Vert said to the woman in combat uniform. "By the way, aren't you hot in that outfit? At least remove the vest. Looking at you makes me feel hot myself."

"Standard Operating Procedures, Vert. Come on." Vio mentioned to the CPU. "You made the rules but you're the one breaking it."

"Ahahahaha. Fair enough." Vert admitted in defeat humorously before looking at her vest. "But…doesn't it look like it's a bit…tight there?"

"Hmm…. Well it's true, though." Vio said as she examines her vest. "It is pretty tight. And since you said that it looks tight, then I will gladly unzip it for now."

And Vio did unzipped her vest, letting her breathe easy after her chest got free from the restraints of the vest. Although it did also freed her breasts from the restraints, bouncing out in the process and making a certain man in a corner named Paiga gulp as she ogles at the two women.

"Hmhm. Sir Paiga, you're ogling too much at our guests…." Sherman, who is standing beside Paiga mentioned to the man in a whisper, making sure it wasn't heard.

"?! M-my apologies…." Said a startled and flustered Paiga as he fixes his glasses on his nose.

"Anyway, now that we're done with our own businesses, I do believe that it's time for your tour." General Hanagata mentioned. "I apologize that I can't accompany you, lady Vert, but you will be accompanied instead by one of my finest Fencers."

"Oh, it's alright, General. Hmhm. That is quite thoughtful of you to assign one of your finest to accompany me." Vert said with gratitude. "And who shall be my tour guide, then?"

"That would be me, my lady." Answered Sherman almost immediately, stepping in to introduce himself.

"Well, well. If it ain't the Fencer who fought alongside us during ASIC's siege at the Western continent." Vert mentioned humorously.

" _More like the guy who turned Nitroplus and Harley into half dead zombies…._ " Vio thought in her mind as she stare at Sherman with a little frown in her face. She didn't thought of it out loud as to not cause any commotion while they're at foreign territory. They were there with peaceful intentions, after all.

However, Sherman seemed to notice Vio's stare and gave her a calm smile.

"Just tell Sherman where you would like to go and he'll gladly oblige." General Hanagata implied.

"That is true, my lady." Sherman said in agreement. "Just say the word and I shall accompany you to your desired destination."

"Heh…. Knowing Vert, I'm sure she's gonna say-…"

"I heard that you have an orphanage here. Can I visit that place, first?" Said Very, unable to contain her excitement.

"Hm, the orphanage. I see that my lady wishes to visit the children's place first. Very well, then." Sherman acknowledged as he slightly bows down courteously.

"Wait, what…? That was unexpected." Vio can't help but mention before realizing something. "Oh yeah…. To be flocked by children, especially little girls. That is indeed Vert's desire, alright."

"Desires? More like wish, Vio." Vert said before giggling a bit childishly.

"Very well, then." General Hanagata muttered as he turns his attention to Sherman. "You have your duties, Sherman. Accomplish them without fail."

"Of course, General." Sherman said courteously. "Although the lady is stronger than I am so believe it's me who will be protected than the lady whom I will escort today."

"Oh, you don't flatter me one bit mister. Hmhm~" Vert told Sherman humorously.

"So, shall we be going now, my lady?" Sherman asked courteously as usual. "I am sure that the children of the orphanage will be delighted to meet such an elegant and divine woman such as you."

"Yeah, Vert. I'm sure that the children will be drawn to see a woman with a motherly figure such as you." Vio teased to her superior but nonetheless her close friend.

"Hmhm~ We shall see, Vio." Vert responded with a smile. "So, let us be on our way now, mister…"

"You can simply call me Sherman, my lady." Sherman said.

"Then Sherman, do please take us to the orphanage first. I cannot wait to meet the little gi-, I mean the children. Hmhm~"

"Then follow me, ladies." Sherman said before leading the way out of the general's office.

And as they walk towards the exit of the Main Hall, the three does some chatting.

"By the way, quite the huge vessel you have, lady Vert." Sherman mentioned as he walks along with the two women.

"Wait, what do you mean by that, huh Sherman?" Vio quickly asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Hmhm. Oh, Vio. I'm sure he is referring to the XBC14 Elite flagship by the docks." Vert told her friend.

"Oh. Ahahahaha. I'm so sorry if I ever expressed something that caused your confusion, miss Vio." Sherman said apologetically with a little laugh.

"Y-yeah, right…."

"Although I do hope that docking such a big ship by the Dorfa docks doesn't obstruct the way. If so, I do apologize." Vert mentioned.

"Not to worry. Dorfa has expected you to arrive via the sea so we prepared the docks for your arrival. So no obstruction on the waterways was made, my lady."

"I even suggested that we arrive by air here." Vio butted in. "I told her to just fly towards here while we follow by using planes and choppers."

"And I specifically told her that it is quite tiring to be in a transformed state for a long period of time so I discerned the idea of simply arriving here via the sea using our newly improved flagship."

"Oh? May I ask what improvements were made to the ship?" Sherman asked.

"Well technically it's more indestructible now compared to the previous vessel, the XBC13 Elite." Vio mentioned even before Vert could answer.

"I see."

"Anyways, now that we're outside now, what direction does the orphanage lie?" Vert asked Sherman, hiding her impatience.

"Well we have to tread it with varying directions, my lady." Sherman said calmly with a smile. "But to be specific, it's to the northeast of the main hall."

"Uh… I think that's what Vert really wants to know, you know." Vio said with a sweatdrop. "Well, I just hope this last stop at the Eastern continent goes without any problems."

"Please don't jinx it, Vio."

* * *

Meanwhile at the orphanage….

The establishment already received word that the CPU of Leanbox will visit the place first. So the people who govern the orphanage told the children to prepare so that they look pleasant in front of the divine goddess' patron.

"So, she's coming to visit this place first, huh…."

The one who said this in a disappointed tone was Marianna. She is currently visiting the orphanage herself as part of her daily routine, but hearing that the woman she despises is coming to visit the place, she can't help but feel annoyed.

"Heh. You're lucky that I'm currently shackled here by the general…." Marianna muttered silently as she flock of children left for their rooms to prepare. "But I swear to you, Vert, that I'm not through with you."

And with that, Marianna snuck out of the orphanage so that she won't be there when Vert arrives.

"I swear to you, Vert…. I still haven't forgotten how you left me to this fate…. I swear…."

However, she was swearing so much that it completely occupied her mind. And because of that, as she walks mindlessly, she has reached a thicket just outside the urbanized area but still within the city borders.

"Oh, great…. I was hating on Vert so much that I mindlessly wandered on this place. Now, I have to backtrack this long route…."

But before she could do so, she suddenly felt something prick on the back of her neck. Like she was stabbed by a needle.

"Gh…! What the…?"

As she looked around to spot the culprit, her vision suddenly began to fuzz, and she feels lightheaded as some sort of energy surges into her body through the place where the unknown object hit her.

"D-damn it….getting caught off guard like this…."

And as she fell down on the ground due to weakness, she caught a glimpse of someone approaching her. Unfortunately she can't decipher what the person looks like since her vision is really blurry right now and she's about to lose conscience.

"Gh…h-how come I didn't...gh…feel your presence…."

And before she completely loses consciousness, she was able to hear what the unknown person said, although garbled for her.

"Once you wake up, Marianna, you will realize that you will now have the potential to exact revenge on the person you despise…. Use such powers well…and defeat the CPU…. Use your new potential…to kill her…."

And as soon as the person finished talking, Marianna's consciousness slipped away, leaving the helpless girl sprawled on the ground to her fate.

To be continued….


	16. Chapter 15 - Green and Purple

Chapter Fifteen – Green and Purple

"Kuroe! Waaaaaake up!"

"Hmm…five more minutes…." Said the sleepy young boy with jet black hair as he stirred in his bed.

"Ah! You said that you'll just take a power nap, not sleep!" Shouted Yuu as she tries her best to wake her sleepy friend. "And besides, the CPU of Leanbox is visiting here! Don't you wanna meet a big shot lady in person?"

"You're so loud, Yuu…." Kuroe mumbled. "Besides, I'll get to meet her later at the awarding of the new game console…. Just let me nap a bit more…."

"Tsk Tsk. Kuroe is such a slouch~."

But Kuroe just went on sleeping, ignoring his friend's antics.

"Ookay~" Yuu said with a rhythm before preparing to do something. "Body slam~!"

And with a huge leap up, Yuu slams herself face down on an unsuspecting Kuroe.

"Gaaaah! My…back…!" Muttered Kuroe in pain.

"Now you're wide awake~." Yuu said with humor as she remains on top of her friend's back.

"Yeah…. With an aching back." Kuroe groaned as he pushed aside Yuu off him. "Man, I could feel your ribs hit my back hard and it hurts."

"Ah! Meanie!" Yuu suddenly bellowed at him before pouting.

"What? What did I do? You're the one who did me wrong here." Kuroe said in confusion.

"Grr….I will grow a proper pair too when I grow up more! You'll see!" Yuu humorously argued with Kuroe, leaving the boy confused as to what he said wrong.

"Anyways, get ready Kuroe! The CPU of Leanbox is coming here!" Yuu insisted to her friend. "Don't you wanna meet her? And I thought you like women with big bre-…"

"Yuu got cut off when Kuroe was already leaving his bed to head to the clothes cabinet to change some clothing.

"Uh…would you mind? Please?" Kuroe told Yuu as he was about to pull up his shirt to change it.

"Aww~ come on. It's not like I haven't seen you wearing no top." Yuu told Kuroe. "Seeing you topless is like seeing you wearing nothing but swimming trunks when we go swimming with the other kids."

"Gh…f-fine…." Said a flustered Kuroe as he pulls off his shirt to wear a fresh shirt.

"Hehe. Poke~"

"Gaaaah!" Kuroe suddenly jolted as Yuu poked him in the back with her finger. "What the heck, Yuu?!"

"Hahahaha~! I like how you're that ticklish in the back, Kuroe. Hahahaha~" Yuu laughed on as she makes fun of her friend.

"Grr…why you little…!" Kuroe bellowed at Yuu as he karate chops her in the head before pulling up the hood of her hoodie and put it over her head forcefully.

"Oww…. Hey, what gi-…."

But Yuu's words got interrupted when one of the orphanage matron walked past the corridor where Kuroe's room is at, announcing that the CPU of Leanbox has arrived and that the children should prepare to meet her.

"Ooh~. You heard that? The CPU is here!" Yuu told Kuroe cheerfully as she lowers her hood.

"I'm not really excited, actually." Kuroe muttered as he puts on a fresh shirt. "I'll be meeting the CPU at the gaming convention, anyways. You know, during the awarding of my new gaming console."

"Bah. You're no fun, Kuroe. If you don't to meet her, then fine. I will~." Yuu told Kuroe as she heads out of Kuroe's dormitory room.

* * *

And down below, by the entrance of the orphanage….

"My~~. So many adorable little girls~!" Vert squealed in delight as she saw the little orphans lined up along with the orphanage matrons who are there to welcome her.

"Uh, Vert…." Vio started in a whisper just behind Vert. "There are also little boys, you know…."

"I-I know that much, Vio…." Vert whispered to Vio awkwardly, blushing a bit. "But you are aware how much I crave to have a little sister, remember? Hmhm~"

"I don't think crave is the right word for that, Vert…." Vio mentioned, unable to help herself. And before she even realized it, the children were already flocking around her with great curiosity.

"Wow~. Are you really a soldier, lady~?"

"Whoa. Your uniform is super cool!"

"Are you the CPUs bodyguard or something?"

"Hey, hey~! Show us your gun!"

"Wow! You look so modern in that get up, lady!"

And the children kept on flocking around Vio, their curiosity piqued. And no matter how much the matrons manage the children, they still kept on coming near the overwhelmed woman.

As for Vert though….

"Hmph…. Why are children always flocking around you, Vio? It is so unfair." Vert mentioned while puffing her cheeks with a pout.

"H-hey…. It's not like I'm doing this on purpose, you know." Vio said in defense as she continues to humbly speak with the little children around her, even gently patting heads of children near her. "Besides, they're the ones who approached me."

"Hmm….~" Mumbled Vert in envy as more of the children flock around Vio.

"Who knew miss Vio is this close to children." Sherman mentioned as he observes.

"I'm actually bewildered myself." Vert replied amusingly. "She was always doing her job as a general of my defense forces. And in her free time she often just reads…her usual genre of books. So I rarely see her mingle with other civilians, let alone children."

"I see."

"I do apologize for the children's behavior, lady Green Heart." One of the matrons said to Vert politely.

"Oh. Hmhm. No, no, it is alright." Vert replied humbly. "I'm actually happy to see the children in high spirits. I commend how you and the other matrons take good care of the children, my dear."

"Well, of course. For we-…"

"Oww!"

When Vert looked at the direction where the pained voice came, there she saw a little girl with purple hair and wearing a white hoodie dress slumped on the ground just by the stairs to the entrance of the orphanage building. The little girl seems to have tripped on her way down the stairs and landed on the ground face down.

"Oh dear. That must have hurt." Vert mentioned with worry as she approaches the little girl. "Are you alright, little girl?"

"Ouchies…." Mumbled the little girl as she lifts herself up carefully. "Man, that last step was a doozy. Now my clothes are all dirty…."

And as Vert saw the face of the little girl, something has struck in her mind…and heart, enough to stop her on her tracks.

" _Wait…. This girl…. I don't understand but…she seems familiar to me…._ " Vert thought in her mind as she looks thoroughly at the purple haired girl. " _I-impossible…. Could she be…?_ "

"Vert, you okay?" Vio called out, breaking the train of thoughts in Vert's mind. "You seem to have spaced out all of a sudden there."

And when Vio looked at what caused Vert to space out, there too she saw the purple haired girl, now wiping off the dirt in her hoodie dress. "Oh."

"Vio…. Could she be…?"

"I…dunno, Vert. I couldn't really tell." Vio replied with uncertainty. "I mean, she could be and she couldn't be her. I mean, uh…, I dunno."

"But that face…, and those eyes…. It could be her this time, Vio." Vert insisted.

And as they both look, the little took notice of this and felt kinda awkward as she saw the two woman looking at her.

" _Oh neppers…. They're looking at me. Is my fall that entertaining for them?_ " The purple haired girl thought in her mind as she managed to wipe off most of the dirt in her clothes. " _Wait…. Don't tell me she's the CPU of Leanbox? Oh neps! I think I just made a commotion in front of an important person…!"_

"Seriously Vert. I thought you were able to recover from that ages ago…. " Vio mentioned. "I mean… how many times have you said this every time you see a purple haired little girl?"

"I am aware of that, Vio." Vert replied sternly. "But there are just times that I couldn't still help myself. But I swear to you, my heart reacted there when I saw this girl's face."

"But you also said that before too." Vio can't help but be sarcastic about it. But what she got in return was a serious expression from Vert, taking her aback a bit.

"I'm serious this time, Vio. It felt different. And I wanna find out." Vert said before approaching the little girl.

"O-okay then." Vio muttered, giving up and letting Vert do as she pleases. That was when the children started flocking around her again, to her amusement. But before she could let herself get swarmed by the children once more, she also took one more glance at Yuu to see her more thoroughly herself before having her own conclusion in her mind.

" _Huh. She does kinda remind me of that little girl from before…. A coincidence, maybe?_ "

" _Oh snap…! The CPU is approaching me…!_ " Yuu said in her mind as she remained rooted in her place due to a mixture of excitement and nervousness, sweating bullets in her awkward smiling face. " _What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? Kuroe, hurry up and come down to help me…!_ "

"Hmhm. Why hello there, little miss." Vert greeted to Yuu with a gentle smile on her face, kneeling down a bit so that she could look at her within eye level. "I hope you aren't badly hurt after such a fall."

"I'm not worthy…." Yuu blurted out suddenly while still wearing her awkward smile.

"E-eh? Come again, little one?" Vert asked in confusion, expecting that she may have misheard what Yuu just said.

"Uh…I said I'm not worthy? Ahahaha…." Yuu repeated as a question while scratching her head due to the awkward moment she is feeling in front of Vert.

"Hmhm. Why? Is it because I saw you fall down the stairs?" Vert said calmly before using her gloved right hand to gently clean some dirt off Yuu's face. "Here. You still have some dirt on your face. Let me clean it for you. Hmhm."

"Oh. Uh…thank you…, Ma'am." Yuu replied as she let's Vert clean her face.

"Hmhm. It's good that you don't at least have a single scratch on you despite falling off the stairs." Vert mentioned as she managed to completely clean Yuu's face off of dirt. "You must be quite the tough girl, aren't you?"

"Well, I did managed to survive more than just falling down from the stairs~."

"Wait, what?"

"Nevermind~!"

"Hmhm. Fairly energetic too, I see." Vert mentioned before looking at Yuu with reminiscing eyes. "You know…, you remind me of a certain little girl that was with me ten years ago."

"Oh. Is she your daughter or something?" Yuu asked.

"Hmhm. No, not that." Vert replied in a gentle manner. "More like… a little girl I grew fond of so much that I already considered her as my little sister."

"Ooh. What happened to her?"

"Well…" Vert started before hesitating a bit. She then sighed for a moment before answering the girl's question with a sad expression in her face despite wearing a smile. "Well, let's just say I lost her back then."

"Oh. Uh… I'm sorry for asking, Ma'am." Yuu apologized while scratching her head again due to awkwardness.

"Hmhm. It's alright, little one. No harm in asking." Vert replied calmly with a smile as she pats Yuu's head gently. "My turn to ask you, then."

"Ask away, Ma'am~!" Yuu said cheerfully.

"Hmhm~. Ma'am is too formal. My name is Vert by the way."

"Then ask away, lady Vert~!"

"Hmhm~. My aren't you an energetic little girl. How cute." Vert mentioned. "Keep that up and I might just take you home with me. Hahaha~"

"Well as long as there's plenty of food to eat and video games to play, I might just come along. Hehehe~." Yuu replied back in a teasing manner.

"You like video games as well~? So do i~!" Vert can't help but also mention her love of playing video games to the little girl.

"Uh, Vert. You are talking to a child right there. It's not really healthy for children as young as her to be playing too much video games, remember?" Vio can't help but mention as she overheard the two girls' conversation.

"Y-you are right, Vio." Vert said with a sweatdrop as she turns to Yuu to tell her off about playing too much video games and the effects of playing too much of it on children her age. " _It's so unlike me to be telling something against video gaming. But Vio is right, though. Children her age shouldn't be playing too much of it. Moderation is still needed, after all._ "

"Awww. You too, lady Vert?" Yuu can't help but utter. "Well, someone is already telling me that a couple of times, anyways so I guess my video gaming times are ma-…uh…moder…uh…what's that word?"

"Moderated, my dear." Vert answered for her.

"Yeah! That word~! I think…."

"Hmhm. How cute." Vert mentioned to Yuu again. "So then, can I ask what's the name of such energetic little girl in front of me?"

"Oh! Sure~!" Yuu said cheerfully. "Lady Vert, my beautiful name is-…!"

But Yuu's words got interrupted when suddenly, a sound like thunder was heard from afar.

"?! This feeling…." Vert muttered as she stands up in alarm.

And suddenly, by the forest nearby, a column of dark energy rose above the sky, turning the clouds into dark thunder clouds. The sudden appearance of the dark energy was enough to cause panic to the citizens of Dorfa. As for the orphanage, the matrons were already leading the children back inside the building for safety measures.

"Hmm…. I think the enemy forces are trying to make their move." Sherman said as he readied his weapon to head towards the cause of the commotion.

"And they seem to have employed a fairly powerful dark entity as well." Vert mentioned in addition to what Sherman has said. "And I don't think guards won't be enough to repel such dark entity."

"Then I better hurry and confront this dark entity." Sherman said as he is about to leave.

"Let us help with dealing against this situation." Vert offered to Sherman.

For a moment, Sherman only looked at Vert. But then he gave off his usual kind smile and replied.

"Very well, lady Vert. Leanbox's assistance would be greatly appreciated here. But I must head on now to deal with the enemy. If you'll excuse me."

Sherman then ran off towards the column of dark energy that appeared in the forest near the city.

"Great. I bet this will be blamed on us, huh Vert." Vio mentioned as she prepares for combat as well.

"Hmhm. I think so too, but let's rather be positive about this and say that it's just a coincidence." Vert replied before transforming into her CPU form.

"Wow~! I wish I could do that!" Yuu yelled in awe as she saw Vert's transformation right before her eyes.

"Hmhm. Maybe you can do so soon, little one." Vert, now in the form of Green Heart, told Yuu with a smile. "Now, head inside the building along with the other children. It is much safer for you in there."

"Okay! Kick the enemy's butt, lady Vert~! And to you too, biohazard lady~!" Yuu cheered on to Vert and Vio before heading inside the orphanage for safety.

"Biohazard lady?" Said a bewildered Vio after completing a call to their ship about preparing for any assistance needed in case a more intense battle ensues within the city. "Now where did she got that name from?"

"Hmhm. From a video game, perhaps?" Green Heart assumed. "Well your combat uniform does look like that from a certain horror action game character."

"Meh. Could be just a coincidence." Vio replied plainly. "So anyways, convinced that the little girl is the one lost from ten years ago?"

"Actually, I am not completely sure yet." Green Heart answered. "But I can feel it deep down this time. I just have to know more from the little girl."

"Well, we better hurry up and deal with these enemies quickly if you want to spend more time with that girl."

"Oh, I am planning exactly just that." Green Heart replied as she flies off to follow Sherman towards the source of the dark energy spewing out. "Vio, you head out to the city hall to tell the general that Leanbox is assisting in this situation. I will go on ahead of you to the source."

"Roger that." Vio replied as she runs off towards Dorfa's Main Hall to inform general Hanagata.

And so, an imminent battle within the city of Dorfa ensues….

To be continued….


	17. Chapter 16 - The Minister's Accusations

Chapter Sixteen – The Minister's Accusations

"This…this is impossible…!"

"Sadly, General Hanagata, what you're seeing is true." Vio clarified to the shocked General as he lay witness to several attacks within his beloved city. "So general, the Leanbox forces are just docked by the shores of your city. Tell us what to do and we'll gladly assist in this matter."

However, Hanagata only looked at Vio with suspicion along with his frustration due to what's happening to his beloved city.

"What…? Is this old man really gonna blame this problem on us?" Vio thought in her mind as she tries her best not to show her annoyance towards Dorfa's general. "It's not like we deliberately brought trouble here. But better calm down and turn things around."

But before Vio could talk, one of the head guards entered the room in an urgent manner.

"General Hanagata, sir! The eastern part of the city is under attack by a single enemy!"

"What? Only a single enemy?" Vio suddenly uttered in surprise. "With that much carnage happening already…"

"Are you sure about your assessment, soldier?!" Yelled an infuriated General Hanagata. "If it's just a single individual causing havoc in my city, then why can't all the soldiers stop this terrorist?!"

"But sir, the enemy is no ordinary individual!" The soldier reasoned to his superior. "No matter how many of our soldiers gang up on the enemy, they easily get slaughtered on the spot!"

"Then call in our Fencers!" General Hanagata ordered with a yell.

"Yes, sir!" Said the soldier before he ran out of the room.

"Grr…. Of all times they have to attack, why now…?" General Hanagata muttered quietly.

"General, I'm not gonna say this to undermine your own men, but we can lend you a hand while we're here." Vio mentioned to convince the general. "Leanbox would be glad to-…"

"Although this could simply be a ploy from the southern nation so that Dorfa's defenses weakens."

The one who interrupted Vio was the Defense Minister of Dorfa as he walks in casually in the general's office.

"A ploy you say, Bernard?" General Hanagata repeated.

"Yes, General." Bernard replied before taking a glance at Vio. "A mere act of terrorism orchestrated by the southern nation to weaken our nation until we depend on their help until eventually they get the opportunity to take over our dear city. Isn't that right, General of Leanbox?"

"Wait, you can't just jump into conclusions like that!" Vio said in defense. "You can't just accuse our nation like that! Just because an attack has occurred during our visit doesn't mean that it's our idea to begin with! This is nothing but a coincidence, guys!"

"My apologies General Vio but such scenario like this reminds me about what happened to the Western continent." Bernard mentioned a bit haughtily.

"And you're suggesting…?" Vio asked, still trying her best to remain calm and composed despite feeling too annoyed already.

"Who knows, General Vio. Who knows." Bernard teasingly muttered.

"In any case, General Vio, you are to hold your ground in here." General Hanagata said firmly. "Tell your troops that as well. Leanbox shall play no role in the defense of my city. This issue will be solely resolved by my government."

"Suit yourself, then…." Vio can't help but mention it bitterly. She's just too annoyed by how the two officials of Dorfa took the problem this way.

"Where is the CPU of Leanbox? Wasn't she with you?" General Hanagata asked as he noticed the absence of Vert.

"Oh yeah, Vert." Vio mentioned with a tinge of sarcasm. "Sad to say that she's already on her way to help there."

"Hm. Call her off immediately, General Vio." General Hanagata ordered to her. "Tell her Leanbox has not been given clearance to assist in this matter."

"*Sigh* Yeah, I can't do that." Vio muttered nonchalantly.

"So you would dare let your leader interfere with our internal affairs?" Bernard questioned to Vio. "That can be considered as a form of invasion here."

"Well I gotta say, once Vert has made up her mind, even I can't stop her." Vio replied straight to the point. "Why not just let her be? Leanbox forces won't interfere as you ordered. But at least let her help not as the CPU of Leanbox, but as an individual who only wishes to help."

"Then intercept her with one of our Fencers, Bernard." General Hanagata ordered to his Defense Minister, completely ignoring Vio's remarks. "The CPU cannot meddle with our issues here as to not cause any more serious consequences to befall on my city…!"

" _Tch…. Ignorant bastards…._ " Vio thought in her mind as she tries her best to maintain a proper demeanor in front of a city's leader. But despite her best efforts, she wasn't able to contain herself saying one thing in her mind.

"If this is how things are going to be, then I guess Leanbox will no longer tie up with Dorfa. No alliance will be formed between our nation and your little city."

"Hehe. Dorfa does not require Leanbox, anyways." Bernard calmly pointed out, slightly mocking Vio there.

"Hmph…. So be it, then." Vio said in frustration as she walks out of the general's office, disgusted with the way the two Dorfa officials treated the situation.

However, General Hanagata seems to be feeling a bit uneasy with what just transpired.

"Minister, are you certain about this…?"

"General, trust me. It is them that brought the war on the Western continent." Bernard mentioned with assurance. "They drove away the followers of the vile goddess from their lands and brought them to the west. And you do know what happened to the Western continent after the war, yes?"

"They got annexed by Leanbox." General Hanagata answered. "But that is what the young priestess governing the continent desires, I believe."

"That is because she got easily influenced by the sweet talking of the CPU and her subordinates." Bernard told the general with a tone of assurance. "The Western continent has always been an easy picking for those who have the power. The Northern continent may be as influential but they have their own internal conflicts to delve into conquering foreign lands. So Leanbox took the opportunity while the followers of the vile goddess thrive on the poor land."

"You seem quite certain about this, Minister." General Hanagata can't help but notice.

"You are forgetting that I originally came from the battered west, General Hanagata." Bernard reminded him. "I left the west almost a decade ago for I cannot accept the fact of having such very limited freedom while I reside there."

"Your claims are highly plausible, I admit." General Hanagata said as he listened on. "But you do know that I want nothing less for this city of ours. That I will do anything for Dorfa to thrive further."

"Again, trust me on my words, General. There will be little for us to govern once Leanbox intervenes with our internal affairs. You wouldn't want the entire Eastern continent to have a similar fate as the Western continent, correct?"

General Hanagata looked sincerely at his Defense Minister for a moment before giving out his answer. "Yes. That is correct. If there is anyone that has the right to rule over the entire, Eastern continent, that would be Dorfa."

"And the nation of Leanbox can hinder such plans if we let them intervene today." Bernard told the general, unable to contain his tone of persuasion.

"I must ask you this, Minister." General Hanagata started before peering at Bernard with a serious look. "Why tell all of this now? Why didn't you mentioned any of this before? We have been trading with Leanbox for quite some time now and you never mentioned anything about such claims."

"That is because I do not want to speak of something I can't completely prove during such times." Bernard answered convincingly calm. "Although I do remember being vocal about being against trading with Leanbox before, General. But now, however, is different. You're witnessing first hand the plot of the southern nation to turn the crisis of our continent in their favor. I can now confidently say such because the plot is clearly being played in our plain sight, General."

"Hm. Very well, then. Your words are considered." General Hanagata said firmly. "Keep watch of the Leanbox forces. Make sure they aren't given any reasons to intervene. Leave no room of opportunity for them. Dorfa will not fall to the same fate like that of the Western Capital. I will not allow it."

"Very good, General. I will post some of our forces near the Leanbox capital ship to monitor them." Bernard told the general as he bows slightly in respect to his superior. "As for the CPU, I will send one of our deployed fencers to intercept her."

"Do as you see fit, Minister." General Hanagata replied sternly. "Now act immediately…!"

"Yes, General."

But before Bernard could leave, another one of their soldiers came bustling in to the general's office, panting his breath.

"General…, *huff* Defense Minister…, we found out who the attacker is…!"

"Who is it that is causing chaos within my city…?" The general asked with a grunted voice while Minister Bernard only looked at the soldier curiously.

"It's…*huff* it's lady Marianna, sir…! Something is wrong with her…!"

* * *

Meanwhile….

"Gaaaah!"

A scream followed by a hard slam on the wall of a nearby house. That's what Nitroplus just experienced as she battles against the assailant attacking the Eastern part of the city.

"Tch… darn it." Nitroplus muttered as she regained her composure and readied herself for another assault from the enemy. "What…what happened to you, Marianna…?!"

And there along the burning debris of destroyed houses stand a familiar woman wearing a dark colored gothic dress. But instead of her naturally pale skin, what she currently has is a bluish skin. Purple colored veins are seen across underneath her exposed skin. And her eyes glow an eerily ominous red, making her look like a true entity of darkness. And the way she walks with her limp arms, with one hand holding on to her lance - like weapon, swaying lifeless like that makes her seem like a reanimated corpse.

"Marianna…are you still there? Answer me…!" Nitroplus called out to her troubled fellow fencer. "What happened? Who did this to you?"

But Marianna only grunted and growled as she swiftly attacked Nitroplus again.

"Ghh…!" Grunted Nitroplus as she managed to parry Marianna's attack. But the force of Marianna's attack was so strong that Nitroplus' legs almost buckled from the force.

"Ghh…! Marianna…. If you're still in there…, I'm here to help you…!"

But Marianna only stepped away a bit before re-engaging with another clash of blades against Nitroplus.

"Marianna…! I know you're still alive in there…! So snap out of it…! Fight whatever is controlling you…!"

But Marianna just kept on attacking Nitroplus with a couple of slashes and thrusts from her Fury.

"Graaaaaaaaahh…!"

Marianna suddenly growled before unleashing a barrage of dark energy from her Fury to attack Nitroplus.

"Whoa!"

Seeing as the attack covers most of the entire street where she is standing, Nitroplus placed her crimson sword in front of her before surrounding herself with her protective flames and braced herself.

When it hit Nitroplus, the force was enough to almost knock her down if she didn't braced for it. And her protective flames did its job in preventing her from receiving any damage from the attack.

However, the force of the attack was enough to destroy the houses and small establishments around the streets where they are both in.

"Tch…damn it. That was strong. I'm glad that the residents around here got evacuated fast…." Nitroplus sighed in relief as she readied herself more to engage in battle against her controlled companion.

"I'm sorry I'm late."

Surprised by someone suddenly talking from behind her, Nitroplus looked behind her to see Sherman standing behind her, with his Fury already in hand.

"I see. So it's Marianna…." Sherman sadly muttered to Nitroplus.

"Yeah…. I don't know what happened to her but she seems possessed or something." Nitroplus replied with unease.

" _Hmm…it couldn't have been the virus mutating now, could it…?_ " Sherman thought in his mind as he analyzes Marianna's current condition. "What about the citizens? Anyone got hurt?"

"I managed to hold her off while the soldiers evacuated the residents around here." Nitroplus answered. "Although some soldiers helping me fend her off got killed. So I decided to fight Marianna head on without involving the the other soldiers. I just told them to secure the civilians around this perimeter instead…."

"Hm. Wise choice. None of our soldiers are enough to stop an enemy as powerful as Marianna right now." Sherman mentioned as he steps in front of Nitroplus, going in between her and Marianna. "Leave Marianna to me, miss Nitro. You have another task in hand."

"Wait, what? What do you mean?" Nitroplus asked in confusion.

"The general wants you to intercept the CPU of Leanbox. She's currently on her way here from south of the city. Seems the general doesn't want the southern nation to interfere with the current crisis we have in here."

"M-me…? Stop the CPU?"

"That's the order." Sherman said as he prepares his Fury to engage in battle against the possessed Marianna. "It's not clear why, though. But we better do what they say."

"O-okay then." Nitroplus replied as she steps back to prepare to leave. "Hey, be careful, okay? And try to get Marianna back to her usual self."

"Not to worry. I don't intend to kill her as well." Sherman assured Nitroplus. "I'll try my best to get her back to normal."

"Okay. Yeah. Good luck, Sherman." Nitroplus bid to Sherman before heading towards the direction he pointed out to where the CPU is coming from.

"Now then…."

Sherman then puts all of his focus towards his possessed fellow fencer. But as he did so, it seems the possessed Marianna backed away a bit.

"Hmm…? Now why are you backing away?" Sherman muttered as he steps forward to approach Marianna.

But Marianna just stepped back a bit some more as she growls at Sherman like a threatened beast.

"Could it be that you're afraid of my powers?" Sherman muttered some more as he prepares to attack Marianna who continues to look threatened. "Not to worry, Marianna. I will get rid of the entity that is currently possessing you."

"Graaaaaaaaahh!" Bellowed the possessed Marianna as she unleashes an ominous dark aura around her. Seems she's ready to kill whoever is a threat to her.

"Such ominous darkness within you…." Sherman mumbled calmly despite the current situation he is in.

"Well now. This could turn out to be quite interesting…."

To be continued….

* * *

 _ **Note: Good day everyone. After quite a while of not being able to do a follow up chapter for almost a month, I finally got to update and finish this latest chapter of my hdn fanfic. If you liked it or found it to have some inconsistencies, just leave your thoughts on the review section. It will be very appreciated. Thanks for reading and cheers.**_


	18. Chapter 17 - Reunited Once More

Chapter Seventeen – Reunited Once More

Green Heart was already en route towards the location where the possessed Marianna is going on a rampage on. As she makes her approach though, something burning shot up in front of her making her stop in midair.

"What in the world…?"

When Green Heart looked down to look for the source, there she saw the person who did it. It was a young woman and she seems to be waving at Green Heart as she stands in the middle of an empty street.

"Lady Green Heart, right? Don't retaliate. I'm a friendly." The woman called out to Green Heart. "I just want to inform you about something."

"A friendly, she said…?" Green Heart muttered to herself. "Well, that is one way to call my attention, I guess."

And as she glides down gently, she got an even more closer look at the person who called her attention. And when her feet finally touched the ground, Green Heart got an even better glimpse at the person. And it was enough for Green Heart to look at the person in shock.

"I-I can't believe it…." Green Heart muttered as she looks at the person. For Green Heart, the feeling is so overwhelming in her as she finally get to meet this person.

"Oh good, you're here. Whew…." Said the young woman who is none other than Nitroplus, not immediately noticing the surprised look of Green Heart. "I'm sorry about this but-…"

Nitroplus stopped with what she was saying after she saw Green Heart covering her mouth due to surprise and is almost getting teary-eyed.

"A-are you alright, my lady?" Nitroplus asked as she was taken aback from Green Heart's reaction. "Uh…w-was my action too harsh for you…? If so, then I sincerely apologize…!" She continued on before bowing down in an apologetic manner.

But Green Heart was still somewhat looking like as if Nitroplus entranced her with a hypnotizing spell.

"It's…it is you, right…?" Green Heart started to say with a trembling voice. "Is that really you…, Sachie…?"

And the mention of the name somehow suddenly caught Nitroplus by surprise, for she has no recollection of ever meeting the CPU before. Or has she?

"Wait…what? That's…how did you know my nickname besides the alias that I'm using?"Nitroplus asked due to confusion. "Oh, I get it. Someone must have mentioned it to you. But, my lady, we just met and you're already calling me by nickname? I'm uh…kinda flattered. Ehehe…."

This reaction from Nitroplus completely caught Green Heart off guard.

"What…? What do you mean, Sachie…?" Green Heart asked due to her confusion. "We've been looking for you ever since you disappeared. We thought we lost you during the battle at the West continent, Sachie…!"

"Wait…. What are you saying-…"

But then suddenly, Nitroplus holds on to her head as if she's been struck with a headache. And without warning, flashes of memories suddenly flooded Nitroplus' mind. And that only made her headache even feel worse.

Ghh…! No…, not again…!" Nitroplus muttered in pain as she holds on to one side of her head, gritting her teeth.

"Are you alright, Sachie?" Green Heart asked in concern as she approaches Nitroplus.

"S-stay right there…! Please…." Nitroplus pleaded as she continues to endure the pain inside her head.

"Sachie…, don't tell me you've lost your memories…?" Green Heart whispered to herself as she peers at Nitroplus, slowly approaching her.

But as Nitroplus endures the sudden pain in her head after having memories she doesn't know of flashing in her mind, she can't help but want to ask the CPU for more information about herself. She's been desiring for answers before until her duty as a Fencer for Dorfa kept her occupied so often that the desire to know more about herself just left her. But now there in front of her lies the key to more information about her. Although she is hesitant to ask, the growing pain in her head makes her wanna go for it and ask the CPU despite her suspicions about the matter. Because for Nitroplus, how can someone who is from another country and just recently visiting Dorfa know her.

"Tell me…, *huff* if you really know me…, *huff* say to me every information that you know about me." Nitroplus asked as her headache slowly subsides now. "Please tell me. For I have no recollection of who I really am, lady Green Heart."

"Oh Sachie…." Green Heart muttered gently, feeling sorry for her. "Very well. I will tell you everything I know about you. But it's best that we stop whoever is causing trouble in this city for now."

"M-my fellow Fencer is already dealing with that matter right now." Nitroplus told Green Heart immediately. She is just so anxious right now to know more information about herself when she still had her memories. It also seems that she has completely forgotten about the orders given to her. "The enemy is one of our own fencer, though. It's as if she's being possessed or something. But another one of my fellow fencer is already dealing with her. So it's fine if we don't help immediately."

"But Sachie are you sure? Your fellow fencer may not be able to-…"

"I-It's fine…." Nitroplus muttered with a stuttering voice. "P-please…. For the past years after I got here, I've been looking for answers about who I really am when I lost all of my memories. My Fury has been telling me lots before but I don't find them credible enough. They only give me this headache that lasts for minutes. From then on, I barely had any time to look for anything about myself due to my duties to Dorfa as it's fencer."

And as Nitroplus relayed her experience more, Green Heart can't help but feel pity for her former companion during the battle on the Western continent.

"So, lady Green Heart, if you really know something about me, please tell me all right now. I will be forever in your debt if you do so." Nitroplus said with full determination before bowing down in respect.

Sensing the determination in the amnesiac young woman, Green Heart then decided to tell everything she knows about her.

"Very well, Sachie. I will tell you all I know about you."

"Please do." Nitroplus replied as she prepares to listen intently.

"Your full name is Sachika Kibagahara, a native of the Northern continent who traveled with her dear friend who is a priestess to help the ailing Western continent. You use the alias Nitroplus which you often claim is uniquely named. But those close to you call you by your nickname Sachie. You wield a crimson blade Fury that you casually named Rawmeat. You also wield a silver revolver pistol with a small bayonet attached on the barrel. And also…, you solidly believe that all evil should be defeated with your way of the sword."

After finishing her speech, Green Heart gave Nitroplus an ensuring smile. A smile that is enough to convince Nitroplus that all she said are true.

"I-I see…." Nitroplus muttered quietly. "You do know me…. A-after all these years…."

But then Green Heart moved in to give Nitroplus a warm but ensuring hug.

"Trust me, Sachie, we tried our best to look for you…." Green Heart said with a soothing and ensuring voice. "My only fault to you is that we stopped looking after a long time of searching. I'm so sorry about that, Sachie…."

"I-I don't blame anyone, actually…." Nitroplus replied bashfully as her is slightly buried in Green Heart's chest as the CPU hugs her. "So then…is it true that I really defeated an evil entity to save an important vessel?"

"It's true, dear. You did a valiant deed by defeating one of the main enemy targets." Green Heart told her. "Alas, if only I was more stronger back then, none of this would have ever happened to you. And I'm so sorry about it, Sachie."

"L-like I said, I don't blame anyone for my misfortune…." Nitroplus bashfully replied. "So…, this dear friend of mine…, what's the name of my friend…?"

"Hmhm. Her name is Ame, Sachie. Only those close to her calls her by her name, however. The citizens of the western Capital call her Little Rain."

"Ame…. Little Rain…." Nitroplus repeated with a reminiscing voice as she gently moves away from Green Heart's arms to look at the CPU. "I still don't remember anything completely but…, heh, I guess Rawmeat was right all along."

" _I told you so many times these past years…._ " Rawmeat suddenly spoke in Nitroplus' mind with a scolding tone.

"Hehe…. Sorry about that, Rawmeat."

* * *

Meanwhile as the battle against the possessed Marianna ensues at a distance, someone is observing from not too far away.

"Oh snap…! That darn Bernard managed to pull it off…!"

The one who spoke is none other than Linda, one of the remnants of the terrorist group ASIC. She is currently observing the situation from afar on top of a tree branch using a pair of binoculars.

"That gothic broad is on a damn rampage now. She seems to be afraid of that guy in white, though. What gives?"

And as she peers through further to the action, she decided to look around through her binoculars to see if she can find anything interesting. And sure enough, she found something more than interesting enough.

"What the…? Oh crap! The CPU of Leanbox!" Linda suddenly blurted out loudly. She nearly fell down from the tree branch she is sitting at when she spotted Green Heart talking to Nitroplus. "Crap, crap, crap…! I better make the signal, fast…!"

She then pulls out a small flare gun from the bag on her back. The way she pulled it out was so clumsy though that she almost dropped it off.

"O-okay. Like what that darn minister said, when the eagle has been spotted, stir up the hornet's nest…. Or so he said…."

And without hesitation, Linda pointed the flare gun in the air before firing the round inside it. The flare created a bright red flash as it ascends into the sky. The burning flare was so bright that anyone from the city can see it burn up in the sky. And because of that, Green Heart and Nitroplus noticed it as well.

"A flare…." Green Heart muttered as she looked up after seeing the flare burn in the sky. "One of your forces must be signaling for help, Sachie."

"Huh…? No, we don't use flares around here. We never did." Nitroplus replied with certainty.

And suddenly….

"?! I sense some aggression from a distance…." Green Heart suddenly mentioned.

And as if on cue, several gunfire can be heard from east of their location.

"What the…? Another enemy attack?" Nitroplus blurted out as she heard the gunfire from a distance.

"It seems that the enemy has everything planned out during our visit…. This is not good." Green Heart said as she prepares to fly off and assist in the fighting. "Sachie, I can't tell how much I'm glad to see you alive. But for now, we have the city of Dorfa to defend against the ASIC remnants. I will tell you more later once the threat is gone."

"Okay. I have your word for it." Nitroplus replied as she sees Green Heart levitate a few feet from the ground before preparing to leave herself to help in the fighting. "Oh by the way, I wasn't alone when I got washed over here."

"What do you mean by that, Sachie?"

"Well, my little sister was with me when I got washed ashore here." Nitroplus answered. "She was just a toddler then. But yeah, let's talk about it later once we're done dealing with the enemy. I'll help deal with the sudden attack from the east."

And so Nitroplus ran of towards the direction where the gunfire went on. But as for Green Heart, she was just still levitating there. She was trying to absorb in her mind what Nitroplus just said.

"Little sister…? But she doesn't have a little sister during the battle at the Western continent…." Green Heart muttered to herself as she thinks about it before flying off. "She never mentioned having a sibling while she's staying at the Western continent before…. But she mentioned getting washed ashore here with a little girl…."

And somehow and suddenly, a conclusion hit her hard, enough to make her eyes widen in surprise.

"Little Yuu…. She was with her…? Little Yuu was with Sachie here in Dorfa…?"

To be continued….


	19. Chapter 18 - The Possessed Fencer

Chapter Eighteen – The Possessed Fencer

Back at the Main Hall of Dorfa, Defense Minister Bernard is observing the situation from his room window. As he looks at the mayhem happening right now on the city, he can't help but give off a smirk on his face.

"Hehe. Once everything goes exactly according to my plans, this city will fall into our hands in no time at all." Bernard said in a monologue. "I will turn this city into a perfect place for our beloved goddess to be revived. Where darkness and despair thrives within each living being…. Such things are required to revive the vile goddess Arfoire, after all…."

Then out of the blue, one of the soldiers of Dorfa bustled in his room, catching his breath, before saying his piece to the Defense Minister.

"Sir! *huff* ASIC terrorists are attacking-…!"

"I can clearly see it from here, soldier." Bernard told the soldier blatantly. "Why don't you go…and be useful to me since you've already wasted your time reporting something to me that already know."

He then handed to the soldier a parcel the size of a brick.

"Uh…what do I do with this, sir?" Asked the soldier.

"Try to sneak it in the weapons cache of the Leanbox ship docked on our shores." Bernard instructed to the soldier. "And try not to get caught, please. If you do get caught, try your best to reach through their ship even if they open fire at you."

"B-but sir, I'm not sure if I can sneak this there. I-I'm not really that stealthy." The soldier said with a quivering voice. "And also…*gulp*, I might get killed in the process…."

"Didn't you just swore under our flag that you would give up your life for the sake of our city?" Bernard said in contradiction.

"W-well that's correct, sir but this order is-…"

"Just do as I say." Bernard told the soldier with an intimidating look. "And don't you dare tell anyone about your objective. I will know if you do. And if I find out that you told someone, you might as well wish you were never born."

The intimidation of the Defense Minister has definitely made the soldier look fearful for his life.

"Y-yes, Minister…!" Muttered the terrified soldier before heading out to do the orders given to him.

As for Bernard, he continued on to peer at his window as he lay witness to the chaos currently happening on the city.

"Hehe. I don't really see him being successful in sneaking that parcel." Bernard muttered as he thinks of the outcome of his orders. "But nonetheless, if he did get caught and did what I told him to do, the outcome could still be on my favor. Hehehe."

He then looked down below to see some soldiers leading evacuees to the dedicated safe zone of the city. After that, Bernard can't help himself but give off a smirk on his face.

"Yes. Keep yourselves safe. Sooner, you will all be used to aid me in reviving the vile goddess. Together, we will spread her will all over the Eastern continent. And sooner, the entire world. Hehehe…."

* * *

Meanwhile for Nitroplus….

She is currently running towards the direction where the sudden raid of enemies emerged. But as she runs, she can't help but ponder on the fact that someone who completely knows her has finally appeared before her. And because of that, a lot of thoughts kept circulating in her mind. From asking Vert/Green Heart further with more questions about her past or even the thought of coming with Leanbox once their visit is over. She was thinking of the latter but what bugs her is if the government of Dorfa would even allow her to come with them even if she mentions about it helping her recover her lost memories.

However, something struck her mind even harder, making her stop on her tracks.

"Oh crap…! I was supposed to stop lady Green Heart from getting near Marianna and Sherman!"

" _I say let her be._ " Said by her crimson sword, Rawmeat in her mind.

"But I will be in trouble once the general finds out…." Nitroplus thought as she becomes worried. "I might get fired from work…. Or even worse…, exiled from Dorfa…! How am I going to support Yuu's daily life if I'm jobless and homeless…?"

" _You're too negative, miss Nitro. Something that you aren't before you lost your memories._ " Rawmeat mentioned to her troubled master. " _If that ever happens, then why not take that opportunity to go with lady Vert?_ "

"Wait, you mean…."

" _Even if you did get fired or even exiled, I'm sure lady Vert will love to return home with you along with Yuu._ " Rawmeat clarified for Nitroplus. " _Dorfa isn't really your home, miss Nitro. Your home is in the Northern continent. You and miss Ame only made a home on the west as miss Ame decided to stay in the Western continent as you and miss Ame help its capital town to rise._ "

"Are you sure about that, rawmeat…?" Nitroplus can't help but ask.

" _Trust me, miss Nitro. I can sense the good heart within lady Vert. I'm sure she'll be happy to have you back. I bet she can't wait to reunite you with miss Ame as well._ "

"I see…." Nitroplus muttered quietly before giving off a smirk as a sign of relief. "True. Even I can feel the kindness in lady Green Heart. Okay, then. If the worse possible scenario happens to me after the battle, we will join lady Green Heart along with Yuu."

" _Excellent decision, miss Nitro._ " Rawmeat replied in agreement. " _If you ask me, I'm actually fed up with this city and it's martial law-like policies…._ "

"Hahahaha. Then it's settled then…." Nitroplus said, with her mind completely made up now. "But for now, let's go cut us some evildoers."

" _Spot on, miss Nitro._ "

* * *

As for the battle between Sherman and the possessed Marianna….

"Hehe. How peculiar, alright." Sherman muttered after engaging with a short exchange of sword blows with his possessed fellow fencer. It seems the possessed Marianna is on a defensive against him.

"Why though, Marianna…? What is making you distant to me?" Sherman asked the possessed Marianna as he calmly approaches to attack her some more.

"Graaaaaaaaahh!"

With an ominous growl, Marianna casted her lightning spell against Sherman to repel him away.

"Gh…!"

Sherman was able to defend himself from the attack, but he still felt the electricity surge through his body a bit.

"Not bad. That kinda got through me a bit…." Sherman said as he resumes a fighting stance. "Now, enough faltering. Let me free you, Marianna…!"

"Grr…!" Growled the possessed Marianna as she is about to strike Sherman again with her darkness enhanced lightning attacks.

"Not so fast…! _Lightfall!_ "

And before Marianna could conjure her attack, Sherman's light magic attack struck down near her location, staggering her from the impact.

"And now, _Sky Slash…!_ "

Sherman then did a three slash combo against the possessed Marianna, making sure every hit didn't got through her vital points.

However, the slashes Sherman made on Marianna's body only emitted dark mists before completely healing themselves.

"I see. So light powers don't really hurt her…." Sherman muttered to himself as he see Marianna turn to face him once more like a reanimated corpse. "Then I guess I can rule out the idea of her being afraid of my powers. Hmm…. Then that only means one thing."

Sherman then assumes his usual fighting stance before addressing the possessed Marianna.

"You still somewhat recognize me, huh Marianna…."

And all of a sudden, as if she sensed something from afar, Marianna looked at the opposite direction from Sherman before giving off a more ominous growl.

"Oh my goodness…. What happened to you, Marianna…?"

Even Sherman got a bit surprised upon the sudden arrival of Green Heart. He was certain that Nitroplus was able to prevent her from getting there. But surprised he may be, Sherman doesn't really mind Green Heart being there at all. In fact, for Sherman, Green Heart may prove that Marianna could still recognize certain people. Although it won't explain why she easily attacked Nitroplus before.

"Grrrr…..!"

Possessed Marianna seems to be growling angrily at the sight of Green Heart. What's more is that her body is getting enveloped more by the dark mist surrounding her. It was obvious to Sherman now.

"Marianna can still recognize certain people after all." Sherman concluded. "Then does that mean that she's just plain reluctant to do battle with me…?"

But as Sherman ponders on with his analysis, Marianna suddenly made a mad dash towards Green Heart with all her speed and strength.

"Graaaaaaaaahh!"

Green Heart was able to parry Marianna's powerful strike using her spear, however. But it seems Marianna has become stronger than usual even if she's not on Fairize since Green Heart is having difficulty pushing Marianna away.

"Gh…! This feeling…. I recognize this aura…!" Green Heart mentioned as she continues to repel Marianna's rapid attacks with her lance. "There is a dark shard in you…. *Gasp!* Sherman, there's a dark shard somewhere within her body! We need to find where it's embedded and shatter it to free Marianna from the influence of the shard!"

"Understood!" Sherman replied before dashing in to attack Marianna while she's still busy rampaging against Green Heart.

But Marianna seems to have sensed the incoming attack and called forth one of her lightning strikes while attacking Green Heart.

"?!"

But thanks to his quick reflexes, Sherman was able to leap back to dodge the powerful lightning strike.

"That was close…."

However, Green Heart seems to have found an opening during that moment and took the opportunity to attack Marianna.

" _Broken Fang!_ "

By twirling her spear, Green Heart was able to hit Marianna twice with the spear and managed to push her back, dealing significant damage.

"I'm so sorry, Marianna. But I had to do it…." Green Heart muttered, feeling guilty for attacking Marianna with a strong blow.

"I don't think that really hurt her, lady Green Heart." Sherman told Green Heart.

And like earlier, the damage dealt on Marianna's body quickly healed as the dark mist surrounding her mended the damage.

"Her damage…healed?" Green Heart can't help but mention as what she had witnessed completely surprised and somewhat relieved her.

"Well, it seems any form of attack on her doesn't do permanent damage on her." Sherman said as he prepares to attack his possessed fellow fencer. "From what I can see, the dark shard along with the dark mist surrounding her has largely enhanced her regenerative abilities. What's surprising is that it's kicking in despite that she's not consuming any healing herbs at all."

"It could possibly be the effect of the dark shard within her." Green Heart concluded as she too also prepares to attack Marianna. "Then all we need to do is destroy the shard in her body."

"The question is, though, where is the shard located in her body?" Sherman wondered.

And as the two pondered about on where the shard is embedded within Marianna's body, the possessed girl gets engulfed further by the darkness surrounding her. And that is because of Green Heart's presence. And the more she gets engulfed by the darkness, the more powerful Marianna becomes.

"Nonetheless…, I will save you this time, Marianna." Green Heart muttered as she readied herself to strategically attack Marianna while figuring out where the shard lies within the possessed girl's body.

"I failed you before, I admit. But this time, I will succeed. I will save you from the depths of darkness, Marianna! I swear on my duty as Celestia's Patron Unit!"

To be continued….


	20. Chapter 19 - The Will to Protect

Chapter Nineteen – The Will to Protect

"*munch* *munch*"

"Uhm…, Yuu…?"

"Hmm? *munch*"

"You're chewing too loudly there." Kuroe mentioned with a sweatdrop as he crafts something from cardboard cut outs, rubber bands and glue while sitting on the floor of his dormitory room.

"Hehe~ *gulp*Sorry about that, Kuroe." Yuu replied as she continues to munch on the bread bun in her hand which gazing at the scenery outside the window. "I wonder how things are going out there? *munch* I can still hear gunfire and explosions from afar."

"Well the orphanage is getting ready for an evacuation once the situation worsens around here, I think." Kuroe said while gluing down some pieces of his cardboard cut out.

"Is that the reason why there are many soldiers around this building?"

"Well, I guess." Kuroe replied to Yuu's question while putting together more pieces of his cardboard cut outs to form what looks like a pistol made out of cardboard. "At least them being around this place puts me at ease."

"Ooh~ That's a nice looking thing you got there, Kuroe." Yuu mentioned as she noticed the handmade craft Kuroe made before taking another bite on her bread bun. "Is that a gun made out of cardboard?"

"Yup. And it will come in handy if we ever get into trouble." Kuroe said to Yuu while putting a piece of rubber band at the back of his makeshift pistol that will act as the hammer when he pulls the trigger.

"How will that work? Can it even hurt someone?" Yuu asked while still eating her bread bun.

"No, it can't hurt anyone badly." Kuroe answered as he gets busy this time with what looks like the magazine of his makeshift pistol. "It's no different to a slingshot, actually. But if I load this up with these bullets, it's enough to create a distraction in case I get caught by the bad guys."

Kuroe then showed several pieces of paper rolled into cylindrical shapes that is more than a centimeter thick and about three centimeters long.

"Hmm? They don't look like they could hurt anyone with those rolled paper, Kuroe." Yuu said with doubt as she is about to pick one paper bullet to inspect it.

"Careful with those. That's not just rolled paper, you know." Kuroe warned to the curious girl as he finished crafting the magazine of his cardboard pistol.

However, just as he mentioned his warning….

 ***Poof***

"What the- *cough* *cough*"

There was a thin cloud of gray powder that erupted from the piece of paper bullet that Yuu accidentally unwrapped and is causing the young girl to cough and sneeze simultaneously.

"You idiot…! I told you to be careful!" Kuroe shouted out before running towards his clothes cabinet to pick up a small towel, drenched it with water from one of their drinks and hurriedly went to Yuu to wipe her face with the wet towel.

"Jeez. I told you to be careful. Luckily the contents burst out far from your face or else it could have irritated your eyes and nose, making you feel difficulties in breathing and seeing."

"H-how should I know that's what is inside your paper bullets…." Yuu mumbled as she let's Kuroe clean her face.

"Well each paper bullets contain some powdered pepper and some other powdered spices I got from the kitchen. A mixture of those is enough to irritate someone's face, enough to make their eyes uncontrollably get filled with tears and irritate their nostrils." Kuroe mentioned as he proceeds to clean Yuu's hands this time.

"Wow. And you only thought about that all by yourself?" Yuu said in awe to what her friend just crafted.

"No, of course not. I just found out about the pepper stuff on one of the video games that I played at the arcade stores that offers game console rentals." Kuroe answered as he finishes cleaning away the pepper off Yuu's hands. "There, you should be okay now."

"Hehehe~ Thanks, Kuroe." Yuu said happily with a smile towards her friend.

"Wh-whatever…." Kuroe replied, looking away with a deep blush after seeing Yuu smile for him in gratitude. "A-anyways, I'm gonna finish making this gun of mine."

"Hehe~ okay." Yuu replied before continuing on eating her bread bun as she watches Kuroe finish assembling his cardboard pistol.

"What about you, Yuu? Got anything to use to protect yourself?" Kuroe asked while applying the final touches to his craft.

"Yup~ I'm all settled." Yuu replied before pointing at a wooden sword leaning on the wall near the door.

"You've really gotten too attached to that wooden sword, huh."

"It saved me from Dogoos so I'm keeping it.~" Yuu said as her reason. "It's effective against strong people too. Remember what happened to my sister's hand?"

"I don't think you should be bragging about that." Kuroe said with a sweatdrop. "Because of that, you received quite a punishment, after all."

"Still effective!" Yuu insisted while biting off a big chunk from her bread bun.

"I just noticed…. Where did you get that bread anyways?"

"From your food stash." Yuu answered straightforwardly, shoving the last bit of bread into her mouth. "If only you stocked some pudding, I might be eating that instead."

"I hope that's the only food that you ate, Yuu!" Kuroe said as a warning. "Because we're stocking up some food in case we get hungry at the evacuation site…!"

"Oh?~ We?"

Realizing what he has just said, Kuroe can't help but suddenly get all flustered about it and looked away like the shy boy that he is.

"I-I'm not that selfish to just pack stuff just for myself, idiot…! Be thankful that I even packed up something for you as well."

"Hahahaha~ yeah, thanks buddy." Yuu said to Kuroe with a bright smile, making the boy blush even more.

And suddenly, one of the orphanage matron passed by the corridor where Kuroe's room is at, announcing that every children should prepare for evacuation and will be leaving in fifteen minutes time.

"Just in time…." Kuroe mumbled as he packs up his makeshift pistol in his backpack along with his pepper filled paper bullets. "Let's go, Yuu. And bring your wooden sword just in case you need to use it and whatever miss Nitroplus trained you to do."

"Well, I'm confident with the sword skills that sis has taught me throughout the years. Hehe~" Yuu said with pride as she picks up her wooden sword.

"I just hope that we don't encounter any danger once we're on the road." Kuroe said as he wears the backpack on his back. "Well…, even if we do encounter danger out there…, I will protect you, no matter what happens…."

"Hmm? Said something, Kuroe?"

"N-nothing…! Jeez, do I have to broadcast my every thought to you?" Kuroe said with a panicked and flustered voice.

"Okay, okay. Chill, Kuroe. Hehehe~"

And so, with preparations done, the two friends went out to join their fellow children in evacuating the orphanage to relocate to a safer place, far away from the battle that ensued at the city of Dorfa.

* * *

Meanwhile….

"Taste the fury of my burning blade!"

With one sideways slash of her long sword, Nitroplus was able to thwart several masked ASIC extremists out of her way while professionally dodging and deflecting several enemy gunfire. It was long and laborious battle for her but eventually she managed to reduce the numbers of the extremists while barely getting scratched by the enemy gunfire. And thanks to her, she was able to stop the advance of the extremists from getting in further to the city.

"What baffles me is that how did they get into the city…?" Nitroplus wondered as she has spotted the few remaining enemies that are about to fire their rifle at her.

"Hmhm. Go ahead, shoot me." Nitroplus muttered teasingly to provoke the extremists.

And it seemed to have worked since some of the enemy buckled and stopped aiming at her and are now trembling on their feet.

"Wh-what are you all doing?! Don't be scared at her!" Yelled one of the extremist that looked more braver than the rest of his comrades. "We are here to complete a mission for the sake of reviving our god-…!"

But even before he could complete his words, Nitroplus already made a move and swiftly slashed down the rest of the extremists aside from the one who bravely spoke against her.

"That's for harming innocent civilians…." Nitroplus said with loathing as she goes to face the last remaining ASIC extremist. "Hmhm."

"Ghh…. H-have mercy…." Mumbled the ASIC extremist.

"Hmhm. If you wanna live…, you better kill me before I kill you!" Nitroplus shouted as she rushes towards the guy, ready to slice down the enemy in front of her.

"Gaaaaaaaaahh!" Yelled the extremist in fright as he backs down while firing at will towards Nitroplus.

Unfortunately for him, Nitroplus easily deflected his bullets. And as if it happened in an instant, Nitroplus landed a killing slash on the extremist with her flaming blade.

"And that's that. Whew…." Muttered Nitroplus as she relaxes her body after fighting off the ASIC extremists.

" _You could have captured the man instead and gathered information on how they got here._ " Rawmeat, Nitroplus' trusty Fury argued with her.

"O-oh. You're right." Nitroplus said, regretting that he just downed a possible source of information on how the enemy got into the city. "Well, maybe they have something in their pockets that could have some information."

And as Nitroplus approached one downed extremist however….

 ***Boom!***

"?! What the…?"

With her quick reflexes, Nitroplus was able to jump away before getting caught by the small explosion that came from the downed enemy corpse. And not only that, the rest of the enemy corpses exploded as well, igniting their bodies into flames.

" _Th-they exploded…._ " Rawmeat said in surprise.

"Seems the enemy doesn't want any information getting leaked, huh." Nitroplus concluded. "I can imagine the same thing happening when we take him as prisoner earlier.

" _He could have exploded on the spot while we take him in, miss Nitro._ "

And as the two wondered about what just transpired in front of them, several flares were shot up at the sky from different locations. And upon spotting it, Nitroplus already know what those mean.

"Ghh…. There's still more of them…?! How did they all got into the city unnoticed…!"

And shortly after, another flare was shot up into the sky. And it was shot up near the location that is highly familiar to Nitroplus.

"The orphanage is just nearby that location…. Oh no…!"

" _The children could be in danger, miss Nitro…!_ " Rawmeat said with worry.

"Yuu is at the orphanage right now…! We better hurry!" Nitroplus said in a panic as she rushes towards the location where the orphanage is at.

" _Miss Nitro, here!_ " Rawmeat called out as she transfers more power into Nitroplus. " _This will give you a better boost. Use it to get to miss Yuu faster._ "

"Thanks, Rawmeat...!" Nitroplus mentioned before kicking off the ground, making the soles of her shoes ignite into flames and acted as rocket propellants to make her fly up to a decent height and speed.

"I hope I get there in time…!" Nitroplus prayed under her breath. "Hold on, Yuu! I promised to protect you and I will not and never break it…. Just hold on…. I'm coming!"

To be continued….


	21. Chapter 20 - Endangered

Chapter Twenty – Endangered

And as the ASIC extremists comes forth and invades the most richest city in the East continent from within, the battle against the possessed Marianna continues on as the CPU Green Heart and Sherman gangs up on the possessed fencer.

" _Lightfall!_ "

"Graaaaaaaaahh!" Roared the possessed Marianna as she dodges and deflects the light magic attack from Sherman.

"I'm not done yet…!" Sherman muttered as he continues to bombard Marianna with his Lightfall magic attack, where in turn, the possessed girl continues to deflect and dodge.

"I see an opening…." Green Heart quietly murmured to herself as she dashes in towards the possessed girl who is still preoccupied in deflecting Sherman's light magic attack. " _Rainy Ratnapura!_ "

Although Green Heart was quick enough with her attack, Marianna was still able to face her and deflect every spear slashes and thrusts that Green Heart threw at her.

"Grr….! _Gust Slash…!_ "

Said with a demonic tone in her voice, Marianna summoned a swirling gust of wind at Green Heart, trapping the CPU inside the roaring winds.

"Ghh…. Gaaaah!" Green Heart yelled in pain as the gushing winds surrounding her slashes into her body like tiny, sharp razor blades slashing around her.

"Ryushin, now…!"

" _Executing Convergence._ "

Upon Sherman's command, several light streams burst out of from the magic circle he procured, and they all rapidly attacked Marianna at the back, exploding on impact.

"Come, Ryushin, one more attack and we should have her pinned down soon…!" Sherman commanded to his Fury.

" _Affirmative. Executing Prismatic Burst._ "

Below the staggered girl appears a huge light magic circle surrounding her.

"May the darkness be cleansed from your body…."

With a snap of his fingers, the magic circle underneath Marianna erupted a light pillar, bathing her body with light.

"GRAAAAAAAAAHH!" Screamed Marianna in pain as the light seems to be burning her body.

"Wait! You're almost killing her with that!" Green Heart shouted out of concern.

"Not to worry. It is not Marianna that is directly burning from the light…."

And at closer inspection, Green Heart saw what was transpiring inside the light pillar.

There she saw what seems to be Marianna's body smoking from the light burn turns out to be the darkness within her seeping out of her body.

"Amazing…." Green Heart said in awe. "She's truly being rid of what is possessing her…."

And out of the blue, a dark crimson glow suddenly emitted from one area at the back of Marianna as the girl collapses on the ground after Sherman dispels his magic, her skin back to her usual colors although covered in injuries.

"?! That's the…?!"

"Lady Vert, you need to hurry. That's where the dark shard has embedded in Marianna's body." Sherman told Green Heart with urgency. "Extract it before it starts possessing Marianna once more."

"U-understood." Green Heart replied before touching the back of the unconscious girl. "I'm glad that you're unconscious Marianna. Because this will hurt a bit."

Using her own light powers, Green Heart surrounds the area where the shard is embedded with a light sphere, burning Marianna's back a hit due to the density of the light.

"Here we go…."

And slowly but surely, Green Heart extracted the dark shard from Marianna's back, leaving a small burn mark there.

"There, it is off now." Green Heart said while showing the dark shard contained within the sphere of light she used to entrap it. "It is just as big as the one I encountered a decade ago. This is definitely the work of the vile goddess' followers."

"I don't understand how they managed to get in Dorfa in the first place." Sherman said as he kneels down to check up on the unconscious girl. "For now, I am relieved that we were successful in removing the dark shard off Marianna without fatally hurting her."

"I am amazed on how much power you have, Sherman." Green Heart mentioned. "Clearly you have what it takes to defeat her on your own."

"You may say that, but I could not have done what we have accomplished without you, my lady." Sherman replied in a gentlemanly manner and with his usual calm smile. "Restraining Marianna proves to be impossible if I fought her alone."

"Then care to destroy the shard on my behalf? I believe you have earned the honor of eliminating such dark item." Green Heart offered generously.

"I am honored. But as you can see, all my power did was subdue Marianna and let the shard be noticed. In all honesty, I aimed to destroy the shard from within her body. But my power wasn't enough. So I say a patron of the pure goddess like you, lady Vert, has more power to destroy such dark item. You are more capable than I am."

"I-I see. Very well, then." Green Heart agreed on. "Even if I did enclosed it within this sphere of light, I can still feel the seeping dark energy within it. And it's affecting the flow of my energy in my body."

And by making the sphere of light even more denser, Green Heart forcefully closed her hand in a crushing manner so that the sphere implodes, destroying the shard within. And as that happened, darling mists erupted from the disintegrated shard and let's out an ominous sounding moan of agony.

"Truly quite an unremarkable item." Sherman muttered to himself. "Lady Vert, I suggest you stay and take Marianna to a safer place. We may have dealt with her but that doesn't mean the battle is over."

"I can help after I take Marianna someplace safe." Green Heart insisted as she hoists Marianna up in a princess carry to take her to safety.

"My apologies, lady Vert. It would be best if you let us fencers of Dorfa deal with all of these from here on out." Sherman replied. "Dealing with the extremists is no longer a huge issue to involve the guest of honor of Dorfa."

"Well…if you insist." Green Heart said as she starts to float up. "But if you ever need-…"

Out of the blue, something exploded from afar, just southeast of their location. And both Sherman and Green Heart know what place it could be.

"Oh no…. That's where the orphanage is…!" Sherman muttered as he bolted straight towards that location.

"Wait, I'm coming with you!"

"Please bring Marianna to safety first…! I'll go on ahead and make sure the children are safe…!" Sherman said as he continues to run towards the place where the orphanage is under attack.

"Ghh…but that little girl is there…. Ghh…, no choice for now." Green Heart muttered as she flies off fast towards her ship to bring Marianna. However, deep inside her, she doesn't want to stand idle by knowing innocent children are in danger so she decided to bring the unconscious girl in her arms to safety first before heading out with haste towards the besieged orphanage.

* * *

As for the orphanage….

It is suddenly besieged by a hideous looking monster with two additional tentacle-like arms from its back. It's body filled with thick scales that act as armor to its lizard-like body.

All the children who are evacuating all scampered about just to get away from the monster that suddenly appeared.

"Hahahahahaha! That's right, little brats! Run! Run away! Scream! Scream like the scared little brats that you all are! And if I ever catch one of you, you'll be so sorry!"

Some soldiers of Dorfa managed to get near and defends the fleeing children along with the helpless matrons.

"Useless! You are all weak and useless!" Yelled the monster in glee as it swings its claws and tail against the defending soldiers.

"Uhm…Kuroe, I don't think your cardboard gun will work against this monster…!" Yuu can't help but mention as she and Kuroe remained trapped inside the building as they got left behind during the evacuation.

"Tch…. We could have been outside already if it weren't for you delaying us, Yuu…." Kuroe replied, obviously toughening himself while being scared at the same time, his makeshift gun at the ready as he and Yuu prepare to escape from the ruined orphanage building. "Backdoor is already inaccessible due to that monster attacking from the rear first…. What now…?"

"How should I know a monster that ugly would appear while I was in the bathroom?!" Yuu said in defense.

"You're too loud…!"

"Ahahaha! Found you two!"

With a loud and violent crash, the monster barged right through the walls of the building to seek whoever is left inside.

"Waaaah!"

The impact of the crash knocked the two children away, leaving Kuroe staggered and confused while Yuu seems to be knocked unconscious as she lies down unmoving on the ground.

"Gh… Yuu…." Kuroe mumbled as he weakly crawls towards the unconscious little girl.

"Well, well…. And here I thought all the brats got away…." Muttered the monster as it proceeds to pick up Kuroe with its massive hand.

"Gaaaah! Let go of me!" Kuroe demanded as he struggles to break free from the monster's grasp.

"Oh, I will let you go…. If you can finish off your unconscious friend! Hahahaha!" The monster said before laughing in a maniacal manner.

"What?!"

"Don't got the guts to do it? How weak and pathetic! Then I'll gladly finish you of instead…. Right here…, right now!"

"Don't you dare harm those children!"

And unbeknownst to the monster, a huge blade of fire suddenly hit it from behind, staggering the monster badly but still manages to remain grasping Kuroe with its clawed hand.

"Who dares attack me?! Who has the guts to attack me?!"

And when the monster turned around, there it saw Nitroplus standing just a few feet away from it, flaming sword at the ready to attack once more.

"How dare you hurt Yuu and her friend…." Nitroplus muttered loudly enough for the monster to hear. Her face is filled with rage as she eyes the monster. "Unforgivable. Attacking a defenseless orphanage and hurting my little Yuu…. A monster like you should be eliminated…! A monster like you should be sliced and diced! I'll make sure you die this instant!"

"Oh, I'll enjoy killing you this time around, you b****…!" The monster said in a crazed manner. "COME AT ME, YOU MAGGOT!"

* * *

Meanwhile, not so far from the orphanage….

"Do we really have to involve ourselves into this situation? We just got here days ago."

"Come on, don't be such a worrywart. I only need to gather up some new data."

"What data? From that monster?"

"You've obviously seen it earlier, right? That there is no monster. That is someone who has accessed Fairize. Hmhm~ It could be possible that the fencer made adjustments to his Fury in order to enhance the fusion coefficient."

"*Sigh* There's no stopping you right now, huh."

"Yup.~ As of now…, consider my curiosity piqued. I will have my precious data.~"

To be continued….


	22. Chapter 21 - Meeting Once More

Chapter Twenty One – Meeting Once More

"Hnnggh…."

Everything was blurry to Yuu when she regained consciousness. She was still feeling groggy after getting knocked out by the monster who suddenly attacked the building.

"What…hit me?" Yuu muttered weakly as she regains her composure. When she looked up, however, is when she has finally understood the situation she's in when she saw the monster just a few feet away fighting against Nitroplus.

"Whaaat?! It's a…a- a killer dinosaur! Ah, wait…! A killersaur! A colorful, alien-looking killersaur!" Yuu said in a panic as she stands there frozen in fear after seeing such horrific being right in front of her.

"Hahahahahaha! You should have stayed asleep you little brat!" Roared the monster as it swings its tail fiercely towards the little girl.

"YUU! GET OUT OF THERE!" Nitroplus yelled as she tries to stop the monster from attacking the little girl.

"Up you go, little one.~"

"Whaaa?"

Out of the blue, someone hoisted Yuu up on her feet and carried her to safety before the monster's tail could hit the spot where she was standing earlier.

"Well that was a close one." Said the person who saved Yuu from being crushed by the monster. "Oh. It's the little girl who ask for one of my flasks."

"Ah! It's the big chested lady~!" Yuu responded with glee.

" _It's a good thing we were able to get her out of there safely._ " Muttered by someone suddenly.

"Ah. Your gun can talk, lady?" Yuu asked with curiosity.

"Hmhm. That's right." The woman answered before brandishing her weapon. "This here is a Fury, after all. And his name is Bahus."

"Let's save the introductions for later, Harley. For now we must help that other Fencer dealing with the monster." The Fury named Bahus said with urgency.

"Oh, don't worry. We'll get to that point." The woman named Harley replied casually. "And also, that there is no monster, Bahus. That there is a Fencer on Fairize form.~"

" _After thrashing about and attacking a place filled with children? All I see is a monster._ " Bahus said sternly.

"Nonetheless, I must gather more data about it.~ I wanna know what's the extent of the adjustments the Fencer did to have such a transformation with his Fury.~ Or if the Fencer and the Fury has this special relationship with each other that they found a new evolution of Fairize.~ Ohhh~ I have so many things that I wanna know~!"

But as Harley ponders on what to do, Nitroplus continues to do battle against the monster and she seems to be having difficulties dealing with it. And the reason behind the difficulty is that the monster is still holding on to Kuroe in one of it's clawed hand.

"Waaaah! The monster has Kuroe hostage!" Yuu yelled in a panic.

"Wait, isn't that…Sachie?!" Harley asked in surprise, truly mesmerized by the sight of the girl who she thought was long gone now. "I thought she died back then…."

" _It is indeed miss Nitroplus…!_ " Bahus said in agreement and similar surprise. " _But now is not the time for that…. Let's fight that monster and help miss Nitroplus rescue that boy in the monster's clutches._ "

"Okie-dokie, then.~" Harley replied, preparing her Fury for battle. But before she headed out, she first faced little Yuu. "You better run for it, little girl. Things might get dicey here and you could get hurt."

However….

"Darn you monster…!" Kuroe cursed as he managed to get his right hand free that is holding his makeshift gun. "Let go of me!"

Desperate to be free from the monster, Kuroe fired his makeshift gun at the face of the monster.

"Graaaaaaaaahh! It burns! You little b****!" Roared the monster as the contents of the paper bullet bursts out from it, releasing the mixture of spices inside and scattering around the monster's face. "Die!"

But because of what Kuroe did, the monster suddenly throws him away with great force.

"Whoops."

And just as what she did with Yuu earlier, Harley jumped in and caught Kuroe in midair.

"Whew. That was close. I guess I have the knack for saving little children, after all." Harley said half-jokingly as she lands on the ground and made enough distance from the fight while holding on to Kuroe.

"Hmmm…!" Breathed out Kuroe as he found his face buried in between Harley's chest due to way she caught him.

"Whoops. Sorry about that. Hmhm." Harley said as she let's go of Kuroe beside Yuu. "Now, you two should run for cover, okay? It's dangerous around here."

"Okay.~" Yuu replied with an arm raised while Kuroe is looking down, all flustered.

"Hmhm. Well, I'll be helping Sachie now." Harley said before heading back in to the battle.

"Hey, hey. I'm glad you're okay Ku…- eh? Something wrong, Kuroe?"

"Soft…." Kuroe murmured to himself as he holds his own flustered face. "So soft…."

Seeing such reaction from her friend, Yuu did nothing but frown and pout at Kuroe.

"Hmph…! Humbug…. I will grow a good pair soon…. You'll see…."

Meanwhile….

"Graaaaaaaaahh!"

Using it's tentacle-like arms on it's back, the monster whips them from both sides to attack Nitroplus.

"Gh…!"

Nitroplus maneuvered a bit and jumps high to dodge the attack. "Eat lead, bastard!"

Nitroplus then fired her revolver towards the monster while still in midair.

"Hahahahahaha! Useless effort!" Roared the monster as it uses its tentacles to block the bullets of Nitroplus' attack. It then did a violent spin so that it's tentacles acted as giant whips.

 ***Whack!***

"Gaaaah!" Nitroplus yelped in pain as she got hit by the tentacles and got thrown away a good distance before hitting a wall of a nearby building.

"Hahahaha! Oh I'm going to put in more pain for you, Nitro…!" Muttered the monster in a maniacal manner as it approaches her.

"Wait…gh…. Why do you know my name…?" Nitroplus asked as she regains her composure.

"That doesn't matter especially now that you're about to die!" The monster said as it dashes towards Nitroplus with full killing intent. "Then after you, I will kill everyone else including those children!"

" _Executing Spiral Shot!_ "

"Arrrgh!" Yelled the monster in pain as three giant, pointed rocks landed and hit it from behind, staggering the monster, halting it from getting near Nitroplus.

"That's three people I saved this time.~" Harley said with pride as she landed beside Nitroplus after making a leap. "I'm so glad that you're actually alive, Sachie. How come you never informed us?"

"Wait, you know me as well?" Nitroplus asked in confusion, but at the same time elated to hear that another person has appeared before her that actually knows who she is.

"Huh? What gives, Sachie?" Harley asked, getting caught off guard by Nitroplus' question, making her confused as well.

"O-oh… Well I…-?! Look out!"

And at Nitroplus' warning, both she and Harley jumped back to avoid the monster's tentacles from hitting them.

"You two got the guts to do idle talk in front of me. Hahahaha! How bold!" The monster said in a crazed manner of speaking. "Let's see if you two can still babble when I let you feel death's embrace!"

"Hmhm. I guess you can tell me your explanation later, Sachie." Harley said calmly as she prepares to attack. "For now, let's deal with this bad boy and finally get the data I want."

"Huh? Data…?" Asked a still bewildered Nitroplus.

"Let's go, Bahus.~" Harley said while running towards the monster without answering Nitroplus. "Let's make him eat bullets."

" _Executing Guns Akimbo!_ "

Harley rapidly fired her guns at the monster while still sprinting at it, with every bullet exploding on impact when it hit the monster.

"Grrrr! Damn you ranged Fencers!" Roared the monster as it removes its cover and proceeded to attack Harley. However….

"What the?! Where is she?!"

"Got you.~"

" _Executing Heavy Artillery!_ "

From behind the monster, Harley bombarded its behind with heavy loads of earthbound cannon shells, making it stagger and get pinned down.

"Sachie, now!"

"Roger!" Shouted Nitroplus as she leans her crimson blade back while gathering enough flames around it to hurl at the monster. "Eat…THIS!"

With one powerful slash movement, Nitroplus hurled the flames she gathered in the sword, creating a massive ball of fire.

 ***BOOM!***

"GRAAAAAAAAAHH!" Roared the monster in pain as the fireball hit it squarely in the body, where after the explosive impact, it got engulfed by raging flames more before completely collapsing down into the ground while still burning.

"Critical hit~! It's super effective!" Yuu cheered loudly from a distance as she saw how Nitroplus was able to take down the monster. "Hooray~! The monster is beaten! Let's go to them, Kuroe!"

"Wait, don't! We're not yet sure it's safe yet, Yuu!" Kuroe said with worry as he followed the girl.

"Wow. So fire is more effective on him." Harley said as she started to go near the monster. "Ookay now.~ Why don't you reveal who you really are so that I can finally analyze your Fury, mister fencer.~"

"Whew…. Glad that's over with…." Nitroplus sighed in relief as she wipes off the sweat in her forehead.

"Ooh. Uhm, Sachie, I think you overdid it." Harley called out to Nitroplus. "He's not moving or anything here. *sigh* So much for my data collection about it…."

"Oh. Then good riddance…." Nitroplus said sternly. "A-anyways, about my question…-?!"

Sensing the immediate danger, Nitroplus quickly dashed towards the unsuspecting Harley and pushed her away.

"GAAAAAAAH!"

"S-sachie!"

After just narrowly pushing Harley to safety, Nitroplus got suddenly stabbed in the abdomen with one of the tentacles of the monster, and she was bleeding hard from it.

"I'm not…done with you, yet…. You b****!" The monster suddenly said as it slowly rises up along with Nitroplus still impaled from one of it's tentacles. "I'm going to rip you down to shreds! Have a taste of my twin slicers!"

The monster then produced two disk shaped blades on it's back and is about to put Nitroplus near them to get sliced.

"NOOOOOO!"

All of a sudden, a sword like object flew past at lightning fast speeds and pierced through the body of the monster from behind and went out to the other side of its body.

"GRAAAAAAAAAHH! IMPOSSIBLE!" Roared the monster as it gets into a kneeling position due to the severe damage it received.

Harley, after recovering from the shock, took the opportunity and pulled out Nitroplus from the tentacle that impaled her in the body.

" _This is stupid! We have to get out of here! We took a bad hit and I don't wanna die here, remember that!_ " Said by a woman like voice within the monster.

"Grrr…! Fine!" Yelled the monster before making a giant leap up and escaped through the woods nearby.

"Ghh….*huff* gh…." Nitroplus gulped in pain as Harley administers a healing herb medicine on Nitroplus' injury.

"There you go…. Take it in. It's one of your healing herb medicine. Sorry if I let my guard down." Harley said apologetically.

"Hehe…. It's okay…." Nitroplus replied weakly as the medicine she injested is slowly taking effect now. "You did saved me, after all…."

"Actually…, that wasn't me, Sachie." Harley said before looking back at the place where the two children were hiding at.

"Hey…, Yuu wake up…! Hey!"Kuroe yelled on and on as he tends to the unconscious girl.

"Y-you mean…?"

"I saw it with my own eyes, Sachie." Harley answered. "That purple haired little girl with a white hoodie just flung that wooden sword at ridiculous speeds before collapsing on the ground."

Harley then looked around to see if she can still spot the badly damaged monster around.

"Any signs of the monster…?"

"Nope. It's really gone now." Harley answered to Nitroplus' question.

"The monster is gone…. And so is my source of juicy data…." Harley added with a heavy sigh.

To be continued….


	23. Chapter 22 - Grand Reunion

Chapter Twenty Two – Grand Reunion

"Tch…*huff* damn it all…!"

The monster was still weakly fleeing from battle before it finally settled down deep within the woods just east of the city. The damage it got from Yuu's unexpected attack was so bad that it can't heal itself properly.

" _Damn it…! Pull yourself together…! How can you be beaten by a little brat?!_ "

"Tch…. Why don't you shut up and get out of my body!" Roared the monster before its body seemed to have glowed and look like it's about transform.

But what happened is that it's body seemed to have split into two persons, one man and the other a fair-skinned woman with green eyes and quite long fingernails and a thin built body.

"Damn it, Zenke…! It's because you have let your guard down that this situation happened to us!"

"Shut the f**k up, you incompetent fairy! I don't need you blaming me for something that you also f**ked up, Della!" Zenke yelled at his fairy named Della.

"Hah! I'm surprised that you can still trash talk at me despite how severe the damage on your body is…!" Della scornfully yelled back at the injured Zenke. "Instead of wasting your remaining precious energy on screaming at me, why don't you just freaking heal yourself already?! I'll die too if you die, you know!"

"Shut the hell up, you loudmouth fairy!" Zenke yelled back as he angrily shoves Della away from him, hurting the fairy in the process. "Damn that kid…. Ghh…! Once I've recovered, I'm going to hurt her so bad that she'll wish she was never born…! My revenge will be-…"

And that's where it all suddenly happened in a flash; a huge mechanical sword appeared out of nowhere and lunges itself towards Zenke with great speed. And before Zenke could immediately react…"

"Graaaaaaaaahh!"

"…the sword impaled Zenke straight into his body. The force was so great that he got lifted off of his feet and got pinned into a huge tree a few feet away from the place where he was originally standing.

"ZENKE!" Cried out Della in shock after witnessing what suddenly happened to her Fencer. His death means her death as well, after all. "Who the hell did this to him?!"

But before Della could find the culprit, she got suddenly struck by a pillar of light coming from below her, badly hurting her.

"Aaaaaarrrrggh!" Della screamed in pain as the light struck her. And as the light fades, she slowly fell down into the ground, body badly injured and is unconscious.

"Ghhhhh! Della…! Tch…" Zenke muttered angrily as he tries to break free from being impaled by the sword in his body.

"I forgot that you're also a carrier of the FL-virus. It's no wonder that you didn't immediately died after such a devastating attack coming from me."

And there Zenke saw a few feet away, walking calmly, is none other than Sherman. As he approaches, Sherman is wearing his usual calm face and demeanor. But Zenke can feel that deep within, Sherman is out there to do more than just harm him.

"No…stay away…. STAY AWAY!" Zenke pleaded as he tries his best to break free.

"You've already caused too much trouble here, Zenke." Sherman calmly said as he continues his approach. "I don't know how you managed to escape from confinement, but after seeing the harm you have caused not only to our allies but also to civilians, I'd rather stop you now for good than to know trivial things."

Sherman then pulled out a flintlock pistol from a holster hidden on his back by his long coat and points it at Zenke's head.

"You do know the true weakness of those infected by the virus, yes?" Sherman asked to the impaled Fencer.

Sherman may look calm, but Zenke can feel the ominous aura emitting from the fencer in white. And that is enough for Zenke to lose all of his smugness as he cower in fear for his life.

"No…! Please, don't kill me…! I don't wanna die…! I don't wanna die!"

"Good to know that you value your life." Sherman said in his usual calm manner. "But sadly the way you value other people's lives is very appalling. It's quite sickening."

Sherman then proceeded to pull back the hammer of the gun.

"NO! DON'T! PLEASE!"

"May Celestia forgive your wicked soul, Zenke."

"NOOOOOOO!"

* * *

After an entire day's worth of battling those who have invaded and terrorized the city of Dorfa, the defense forces of Dorfa was finally able to contain and eliminate the threat.

During the assessment of the government of Dorfa, damages to the city include residential areas, business establishments and other government facilities, which also includes the government run orphanage. All of these will amount to several millions worth of gold for repairs and rehabilitation. Civilian casualties amount to almost a hundred, although it is fortunate that there were no children casualties despite the attack on the orphanage.

As for the killed extremists, it turns out that some of them are actually registered civilians of the city as well. The news was so grim that the government immediately ordered to do inspection to the other residents of the city.

Civil unrest has also risen almost immediately after the battle was over. It seemed that the entire population of Dorfa is blaming the terror attack on Leanbox. They believe that the terrorists were brought to the city by Leanbox. Others pointed out that it's because of the extremists grudge against Leanbox that they decided to attack the city, like if it weren't for Leanbox's visit, the city won't get attacked by the ASIC extremists.

"I never expected things to go this bad fast…." Muttered Vio as she peers through the window of their ship's infirmary. From there she can see several activists holding placards telling them to leave or that Dorfa doesn't need them.

"But they shouldn't blame you guys for all of this…! It's so unfair!" Harley said.

"Well, what if I actually say that someone from their government doesn't really welcome us here." Vio said bitterly.

"Really? Who is it, miss Vio?" Bahus asked out of curiosity.

"The Defense Minister of Dorfa…." Vio answered straightforwardly.

"Hmm…. Could it be that the guy orchestrated all of this? Maybe this is all a set up to ruin Leanbox image?" Harley can't help but mention.

"Maybe so? But I don't want to jump to conclusions yet." Vio said a bit sternly. "Vert told me that she will clear things up to the government of Dorfa. We already offered to help with the investigation but the growing tension is preventing us from really making a move."

"So, what did lady Vert decided to do, then?" Bahus asked with concern.

"She opted that we leave for the time being." Vio answered straightforwardly. "Vert wants to ease the tension between Leanbox and Dorfa first before we start clearing our name from all this accusations."

"I sure do hope that Leanbox gets cleared from all of this." Bahus said with worry.

Vio then took a glance at the bed across the room, where a little girl was sleeping on it. She gazed at the sleeping girl for a moment before remembering something in her mind and looked at Harley.

"Come to think of it, what are you two doing here at Dorfa?" Vio asked with wonder.

"Hmhm. We just happened to be passing by the Eastern continent during our journey." Harley explained. "We were already staying for a few days at Dorfa before we found out about the state visit of the CPU of Leanbox here."

"We decided to stay for a bit after finding out about it." Bahus added.

"And I'm glad we did." Harley continued on. "Because I've discovered an extraordinary way of accessing Fairize earlier.~ *sigh* Too bad the fencer they called a monster got away before I could examine it more…."

"And be glad it did before it did more harm and damage around here, Harley." Bahus said before sighing. "Come to think of it…"

Bahus then looked at the sleeping little girl on the hospital bed.

"…this little girl was the one who managed to harm the monster enough to make it retreat."

"Seriously? So it did really happened?" Vio asked due to confusion. "I only overheard you saying that to Vert earlier. So…this little girl really did deal massive damage to a monster?"

"Correction! It's a Fencer with Fairize active." Harley can't help but correct Vio. "And yes, I've seen it all happen. That girl flung that wooden sword at the enemy at speeds I don't know how fast. It was like it was shot from a railgun or something."

"I really still find that story hard to believe…." Vio said, still denying to believe what was told.

"Ahem…. This is the infirmary, ladies and gentleman. Please keep your voices down."

When the three looked to see who spoke, there they saw the head nurse who manages the infirmary come inside.

"Oh! Long time no see, Compile.~" Harley greeted to the nurse.

"I said..., keep your voice down, miss Harley. Hmhm.~" Nurse Compile said before shoving a still sealed cup of pudding right in front of Harley's face. "Here, have a little snack. Apologies if it's only pudding cups."

"Hehe. I don't mind it one bit. Thanks.~" Harley said before accepting the offer. She then noticed a long scar down Compile's one leg. "That's quite the injury you received there…."

"Hmhm. Yes, I got it during the battle at the Western continent…. When the old XBC13 got attacked." Compile recalled with a bitter smile.

Compile then proceeded to give Bahus a cup, which the muscular fairy gladly accepted. Vio got offered too, but she politely refused.

"Hehe. What? You on a diet or something, Vio?" Harley asked with a grin before removing the plastic seal off her pudding cup.

*sniff* *sniff*

"Hmm? What's that sound…?"

"I smell…PUDDING~~!" The little girl on the bed suddenly yelled with glee as she quickly stood up with sheer excitement on her face. And her sudden reaction really surprised the other people inside the infirmary.

"H-huh? Wait…does pudding even have a strong smell?" Harley wondered, giving the pudding in the cup on her hand a good sniffing.

"Nuh uh, little one. No sweets for you for the moment." Compile told the little girl as she lies her back down the bed gently. "You need more rest. If you're hungry, I can fetch you some good bread to eat."

"Ehhh? Can't I just skip the bread and go for pudding after some more rest?" The little girl insisted.

"Hmm. Is it me or does the little girl look somewhat familiar?" Bahus wondered as he looks at the girl being tended by Compile.

"Well there is a possibility." Vio concluded before looking at the two Fencer and Fury duo. "Think about it. Sachika went missing along with the toddler ten years ago. And after you guys and Vert met with her, you found out that this little girl was with her and Sachika is with amnesia. It makes sense, right?"

"Fair point, miss Vio." Compile said while gently patting the head of the little girl, whom is looking simultaneously at the conversing people with a confused look.

"Is she awake now?!"

After hearing her voice, the people inside the infirmary saw Vert bustle in the room and hurriedly went to the side of the girl's bed after Compile gave way.

"Are you okay, little one?" Vert asked with worry.

"Yup.~ I'm perfectly fine now.~" The little girl said in a cheerful manner. "So, can I have my pudding now?"

"Hmhm. In a moment, sweetie." Vert assured to the little girl with a gentle smile on her face. "So…, is it true that you were with Sachika the whole time, little one…?"

"Sachika? Oh~! You mean with sis? Yup.~ I've been with her ever since I was tiny.~"

Vert and the others started looking at each other for a moment after hearing this. Then after that, Vert paused for a moment before asking the question she wanted to ask the little girl.

"I wasn't able to ask Sachika about your name. So…, can I ask for your name, little one?"

"Sure.~" The little girl replied cheerfully before clearing her throat as if she's about to give a speech. "My name is Yuu, the most energetic girl you'll ever meet around here~!"

After hearing this, Vert can't help but gasp in delight. Behind her, Compile also reacted the same.

"Vert, I don't want to be pessimistic, but it could be just a coincidence." Vio said calmly.

"I know, Vio. I know…." Vert muttered before looking back at Yuu. She then proceeded to approach the little girl.

"U-uhm…, this is awkward…." Yuu said, blushing a bit.

"Relax, little one…. I'm just going to try and look at something through your mind…." Vert said before she let her forehead touch Yuu's forehead. "Close your eyes…."

And Yuu did so. Afterwards, Vert also closed her eyes as she tries to look into Yuu's mind.

"Is it really possible that way…?" Harley wondered.

"Well, Vert is the one with unique powers here…. Who knows…." Vio replied silently as to not disturb the situation.

And as a minute has passed, Vert and Yuu's forehead are still touching each other.

"Heh…. From this angle, you would think that Vert is ki-…"

"Harley…."

"S-sorry…."

And out of the blue, Vert suddenly bolted up, separating from the little girl. What they saw was Vert covering her mouth as if due to surprise and she was getting teary eyed.

"Uhm…, lady Vert…?" Compile muttered out of worry.

"It's…it is her…." Vert said in between her sobs. "She is indeed Yuu…. She is indeed my lost little girl….~"

Vert then suddenly hugged little Yuu tightly, much to the little girl's surprise.

"I'm so happy that you are alive…. After all these years…." Vert muttered happily in between sobs.

"Well, what do you know." Vio said and she can't help but smile at the situation. "Well, you can stop feeling guilty now, Compile. The little girl you tried your best to save is here and alive…."

"Ehehe…~ It's a huge relief, to be honest…." Compile said happily as she too is teary eyed and sobbing.

"Uhm…. I'm kinda confused here…." Yuu muttered as she looks around while still being hugged by Vert. "Where's my sis…?"

After hearing this, Vert looked up at little Yuu without letting go of the hug.

"Well…*sniff* there is a little issue about it, sweetie…." Vert said while wiping the tears off her eyes.

"What do you mean, lady?" Yuu asked.

"Sachika… is imprisoned by the government of Dorfa." Vert answered reluctantly. "They say it's due to insubordination…."

To be continued….


	24. Chapter 23 - Betrayed

Chapter Twenty Three – Betrayed

"*sigh* This is just great…. Jailed for failing to follow orders." Nitroplus mumbled bitterly as she leans on the cold steel bars of her prison cell. "Insubordination my butt…."

* * *

After the battle, Nitroplus opted to return to the Main Hall to report the situation to her superiors. But what she didn't expected upon her return is being met by the defense minister by the entrance and being told that she has failed to follow the general's orders and has allowed the CPU of Leanbox to roam about.

"Wait…! Defense Minister, I can explain…!" Nitroplus pleaded as she steps back.

"There is nothing more for you to explain anymore, miss Kibagahara." Bernard said sternly. "Sherman told us that he was able to give the orders of the general to you. That your orders were to stop the CPU of Leanbox from advancing towards the battlefield."

"B-but I did followed the orders…!" Nitroplus said more defensively. "I did intercepted the CPU…!"

"But our intel has also shown that, although you did intercepted the CPU, you still let her go afterwards with no hesitation. That already is a sign of insubordination, miss Kibagahara." Bernard said very coldly.

Learning this has put Nitroplus in shock. If someone else did saw what happened even from afar, one would think that she had really let the CPU of Leanbox continue forward, making Nitroplus look like she has disobeyed her superior's orders. But Nitroplus is determined to defend herself from the accusations.

"Listen Defense Minister, I just…had one of my fits, you know. It was bad timing there, I know, but-…"

"I wouldn't call it having a fit when our intel has shown that you were talking so casually with the CPU." Bernard mentioned in a cold manner. "From the looks of it…, you look like you were cooperating with Leanbox's CPU more than you were with Dorfa during the battle."

Nitroplus doesn't like where this was heading. She's fully aware now of where this conversation is going to end up with. While it is true that she had some fit during the time she intercepted Vert, but she can't also tell him that she did unintentionally let her go either.

Nitroplus' mind was racing. Her mind is trying to think of ways to get herself out of the mess she unintentionally made. But alas, she can't think of any. The only thing she got was a bad headache.

"But…it was unintentional, Minister…." Nitroplus mumbled silently, as if she has already resigned to her inevitable fate. "But then some of my memories flashed back into my mind back then…! It made me helpless…! It got me confused…! I swear to you, I never meant to disobey orders…!"

"That depends on how the investigation will end up with, miss Kibagahara." Bernard said very coldly. "For now, it is clear that you have committed insubordination. Such a crime is punishable by imprisonment plus being relieved from active duty depending on the severity of the insubordination case. And if any more information surfaces that points to anything else other than you not following orders, we might find a little…traitor or spy among our ranks."

That remark has put a frightened look on Nitroplus' face. Traitor? Her? Something she wouldn't even do to the city that gave her a new life, and she's being branded as a traitor now by the Defense Minister himself.

"Hey now…. Isn't that a little too far?" Nitroplus said in defiance. "I understand how you got the insubordination part but… I would never betray Dorfa…! This is absurd…!"

"You are aware that Leanbox is suspected of bringing the ASIC threat to our beloved city, am I correct?" Bernard said. "And because they weren't able to provide any strong defense about it, Leanbox is treated as a hostile, enemy nation. They are fortunate though that our generous leader is giving them a chance to clear their names by going to court. But for now, they are asked to leave."

"What are you implying…?" Nitroplus can't help but ask.

"Heh. The way the fighters of Leanbox, even the CPU herself, knows you well enough, we'll see." Bernard said with a grin before signaling the soldiers to restrain Nitroplus. "If things point out that you are indeed here to sabotage the city of Dorfa, I don't think you'll be forgiven that easily, miss Kibagahara."

"Ghh…! Wait…! This isn't fair…! I've served Dorfa for years now…! You can't do this to me without allowing me to defend myself…!"

"See you when the jury's decision has been made, miss Kibagahara." Bernard said coyly before turning his back on the poor fencer. "If she will last more than a day, that is…." He whispered to himself before giving out a malicious grin.

* * *

"Heh…. I guess it's goodbye fencer jobs for me…." Nitroplus sighed as she wonders what her fate will be after a day has passed. "It would be really bad if they did see me as a traitor…. But it will be a baseless accusation. I mean… Leanbox didn't really mean any harm. It was just….bad timing, I guess."

And after a long pause, Nitroplus then proceeded slowly towards the stale looking bed inside her prison cell and sat on it.

"I wonder what Yuu is doing…? I'm not even sure if it's okay to let her be with the Leanbox people…. But… heh…, something deep inside me is saying that it's no problem…. At least she's in safe hands… I guess?"

* * *

Meanwhile at the Main Hall of Dorfa….

A makeshift center for refugees made up of tents were erected just outside of the building. From makeshift infirmaries, food stalls that offer free food for residents to temporary resting places for people whose houses got destroyed.

"There. All patched up for you, little man." Said one of the female nurses from the local hospital of Dorfa who volunteered to help those who are wounded. And the one she just recently patched up is Yuu's friend, Kuroe.

"Hm…. Thank you, ma'am." Kuroe told the nurse.

"It must have been scary that you got caught up in such a dangerous situation." Said the female nurse as she pat Kuroe's head out of concern.

"Well…not really that scary." Kuroe muttered as he stands up from his chair.

"Hmhm. Well, if you're feeling hungry, there are some food stalls by the entrance of the Main Hall. They're free so go ahead and eat if you wish." The female nurse said before she proceeded to treat another mildly injured civilian.

"Hmm…maybe I should eat." Kuroe decided to before heading towards the food stalls. But as he got there, he felt like giving a little detour first as he seems to feel like emptying his bladder first before eating.

"Can't seem to find a bathroom around here." Kuroe said as he looks around for any signs of a portable bathroom installed within the evacuation site. When he found some however, they were all occupied already. "Darn it…."

He then had a sneaking idea. He decided to go inside the Main Hall and do his business with one of the bathrooms available within the building.

But when he got to the entrance, he was met by one of the guards and got halted. But when he told the guard his intentions for entering, the guard surprisingly allowed him to go inside and even gave Kuroe directions on how to go to the nearest bathroom but only on the ground floor of the building.

"Maybe because I'm just a kid, I guess." Kuroe concluded to himself as he entered the building to go to the bathroom.

When he was done with his business in the bathroom and was on his way out, Kuroe can't help but overhear a conversation just a floor above his location.

"I'm so sorry, General…! I didn't mean to be caught off guard I-…!"

"SILENCE! You have become a disgrace to the ranks of Dorfa!"

"Wait…. That voice apologizing…. It's lady Marianna's…." Kuroe mumbled silently as he tries to listen further.

"How can you be caught off guard just like that?! Where did all that fencer abilities of yours has gone, huh?!" Yelled a man at Marianna. Judging from the man's voice, he sounded like General Hanagata. "Now look what happened because of your carelessness, several parts of my beloved city is in ruins! Your carelessness earns you a bullet in the head!"

"NO! Please, I'll do anything, General! I'll never get caught again, I swear! Please, spare me…!" Marianna pleaded heavily that she seems to be crying as she begs for her life.

"General, I know that Marianna has let her guard down, but wouldn't having her executed get us one less talented fencer again?" Bernard told the general.

"Again? What do you mean?" General Hanagata asked sternly.

"It's Sachika Kibagahara, general. I believe she's the one who…assassinated Marianna here." Bernard said before pulling out a small plastic bag containing a tiny fragment of a dark crimson colored crystal. "I found this fall from her pocket without her noticing."

"And that is…?"

"It's a dark shard, General." Bernard answered. "This is the item that turned Marianna into such uncontrollable beast. And it seems the culprit is the fencer we…adopted a decade ago. I always knew we couldn't trust the girl, General."

"That…girl….did that to me…?!" Marianna suddenly blurted out due to rage.

"Silence!" General Hanagata yelled at Marianna before pausing a hit to continue what he has to say." It seems I still have some use for you, after all. But don't expect me to forgive your carelessness just yet…! I sentence you to a year's worth of imprisonment! Guards! Take this miserable girl away from me! And as for our treacherous fencer…"

There was a pause for a moment before Kuroe heard General Hanagata speak again.

"…have Kibagahara sent here…. I shall execute her personally…!"

"As you say, General." Bernard said.

"What…? Miss nitro…, to be executed…?" Kuroe said quietly to himself in shock. "But…all she did was helped us…. She did nothing wrong…. Yuu's sister would never do what that guy just said…."

Kuroe is suddenly filled with determination to make a move and tell Nitroplus about the fate that will befall on her. He feels like he wants to go and save Nitroplus because she's innocent to him. For Kuroe, it is unfair that Nitroplus got set up for the crime she didn't really committed.

"Oh, Kuroe. Why are you inside the Main Hall?"

The voice from behind made Kuroe jump in surprise. When he looked back, there he saw Sherman looking at him with his usual calm face and a smile.

"I just…borrowed the bathroom here." Kuroe said. "I'm done using it now so… I'll be get going now."

"Okay, then. Make sure to stop by the food stalls to get some free food." Sherman told Kuroe as the young boy heads out. "Oh by the way, Kuroe…."

"Hm?" Kuroe stopped on his tracks and looked back at Sherman. "Wh-what is it, sir…?"

"Hehe. It's nothing much. But I did noticed that you seemed determined to do something worthwhile." Sherman said calmly.

"H-huh…?" Kuroe muttered both in surprise and confusion." W-well…nothing in particular…, sir…."

"I see. Well carry on, then." Sherman said with a smile. "But if you ever do have one, may your determination lead you to success. Keep believing in what is the right thing to do."

Those words really confused Kuroe now while he steps out of the building. It's because as if Sherman knows what he is up to. But then again, another side of him is motivated to do just that. To save Yuu's sister from imminent execution. An execution that, for Kuroe, Nitroplus doesn't deserve. But his plan already faces an obstacle….

"*sigh* What else can a kid like me can do on that situation…?" Kuroe sighed as he feels helpless about it. And on impulse, he puts his hands inside his short pockets as he thinks of a way to get to Nitroplus without getting himself into trouble as well.

"Hmm? What's this…?"

Feeling something from his right pocket, Kuroe pulled out the contents he caught from inside his short pocket. And there in his right hand are several of his paper bullets that contained several spices that when inhaled or poured in the face would render a person slightly blinded by the spices or even feel the difficulty in breathing.

"I still have these, huh…. Well, they didn't proved useful against that monster from earlier…. Useless junk." Kuroe muttered to himself as he shoves the bullets back in his pocket. But after doing so, something suddenly occurred in his mind. An idea that can help him with his plan….

"Heh... Well, maybe not as useless now after all…."

To be continued….


	25. Chapter 24 - The Minister's True Plan

Chapter Twenty Four – The Minister's True Plan

"Uhm…do you really have to frame that fire fencer broad? I mean I know she contributed in the failure of the plan but isn't that a bit…too far?"

"Hehe. Correction, Linda. The plan isn't ruined at all."

Bernard is currently in his office, drinking tea from a small cup as he talks calmly with Linda who managed to get into Bernard's office with a little help from someone close to the Defense Minister.

"Uhm…who is this woman, anyways?" Linda asked curiously as she looks at the mysterious woman wearing glasses standing right beside Bernard.

The woman in question is a fair-skinned girl with long, noticeable ears and dull gold-brown eyes worn behind white half-glasses. She has long, lavender hair that is very curly and pulled into a bun on the top of her head. She has noticeable wings composed of multiple green lines with white radiance. The woman wears a beige top with dull red and dark brown accenting. She also wears a beige skirt matching the top.

"It is true that I have forgotten to introduce to you the being who…orchestrated the attack on Dorfa in the background for me." Bernard said as he stood up and goes near the woman.

"Being?" Linda noticed with an eyebrow raised.

"Linda, this here is Sanguina." Bernard indicated at the woman who realigned her glasses as she got introduced. "And she is my fairy partner."

"A pleasure to meet the acquaintance of my master." Sanguina said in a businesslike manner.

"Uh…yeah. Same to you…." Linda replied awkwardly. "How come I never knew that you have a Fury now, huh?"

"I don't have the obligation to tell you everything I have and know, Linda." Bernard said straightforwardly. "You may be this close to me now, but never forget your place, underling. You are simply a mere tool for me. And you are currently here because I still have some use for you."

"Ouch. Why do I feel like I'm about to be disposed of once my usefulness is over?" Linda can't help but complain about it.

"Not to worry. I will not go as far as kill you once you've outlived your usefulness." Bernard said to assure Linda. "More likely you'll resume your role as the disciple's servant once she is returned back to life."

"Ugh…. That sucks…." Linda said to herself in a whisper due to disappointment. "So… how is Sanguina here able to help during the raid of our brethren?"

"Hehe. Everything that has happened around Dorfa actually, Linda." Bernard started to mention. "Everything in my plans were properly executed for me by Sanguina. All done without being noticed by anyone, not even the elite Fencers of Dorfa. Even your failed attempt in embedding the shard in Marianna's body was completed by Sanguina."

"Huh…. I could have sworn I hit her." Linda said as she gave it some thought. "So…don't tell me that even the uprising against Leanbox is also...?"

"All orchestrated excellently by my fairy partner here." Bernard said proudly.

"I am merely following your orders, master Bernard." Sanguina said formally.

"And you were able to execute the orders perfectly as I want them to be."

"Eh…? But we ended up getting defeated. Plus we failed to turn that gothic broad into the disciple's new vessel." Linda pointed out with a disheartened expression.

"Hehe. True that defeat has occurred upon us. But it's not a complete waste at all, Linda." Bernard replied with a confident smile.

"Huh? I don't get it."

"Of course you don't. You are quite the narrow minded person, as far as I know." Bernard said straightforwardly, leaving Linda perplexed after hearing such insulting words. "We may have been defeated, but my plan is still ongoing. And the current situation at Dorfa is the perfect stage for her revival. The despair around the citizens of Dorfa is enough to draw the negative energy needed to revive lady Arfoire's disciple."

"Hm…. Okay, I get that part now. But thing is… where the hell will you be getting a vessel from?" Linda asked persistently.

"In a few moments, we will have our vessel ready, Linda." Bernard answered before looking at Sanguina as if to give her some cue, which in turn, Sanguina nodded before placing two fingers from her right hand and placing them on right temple before closing her eyes.

"Huh? 'Sup with her?" Linda asked curiously. But Bernard chose to ignore Linda's question and simply waited for Sanguina to finish what she is doing.

"Tch…. Ignore me, will ya?"

"If you don't stop, I'll have Sanguina here silence you right here, right now." Bernard told Linda without looking at her. His words were enough to silence her send shivers down Linda's body.

" _Cocky bastard…._ " Linda thought begrudgingly in her mind.

And a few minutes later, Sanguina opened her eyes and looked at Bernard to relay what she has to say.

"All are still going as you have planned, Master." Sanguina reported. "Some of your brethren within the ranks of Dorfa mentioned that the people of Dorfa are still rallying against Leanbox. The people are restless until Leanbox leaves Dorfa."

"Hence they will be forced to leave as soon as possible." Bernard said with a satisfied tone.

"I believe that they are already raising anchor of their ships, master. Their departure is imminent as we speak." Sanguina added.

"Excellent. I love it when all goes according to my plan." Bernard said, unable to hide the thrill in his voice.

"Despite a few hiccups in the plan, that is." Linda can't help but butt in the conversation.

"But those failures eventually lead to an even better outcome as you can see." Bernard rebutted. "And because of those hiccups that you called, miss Kibagahara has become the perfect candidate to become the vessel of the disciple."

"Whoa! Really?" Linda suddenly blurted out. "So you set her up as a traitor just so you could have her executed and use her carcass as the vessel, huh. Hahaha! Your awfully cruel!"

"As long as the execution goes well, we will soon be able to revive the disciple. And sooner after that, the revival of our beloved goddess."

"Wow. You've really planned all of those ahead before, huh." Linda said in awe.

"Now all I need is to once again turn the gears of my plan." Bernard concluded before looking at Sanguina and giving a signal to her via a nod.

"Understood, master. The execution grounds and procedures are all prepared now." Sanguina said in her usual businesslike tone. "Although the general wishes to execute the traitor himself, I managed to convince him to follow our procedures of executing high class criminals and traitors of the government."

"I believe the time is now ripe for that, Sanguina." Bernard mentioned. "Once Leanbox has completely left Dorfa, proceed with the execution of the traitor. Go now and prepare for the next step."

"As you say, Master."

"Oh. Before you do that…"

Bernard then looked at Linda before giving off a grimace.

"…take the underling here back to the hideout."

"Very well, Master." Sanguina replied before approaching Linda and held her by the shoulder.

"Heh. This I gotta see. So… smell you later, you old bastard." Linda said haughtily before disappearing into thin air with Sanguina using the fairy's teleportation magic.

Left alone in his office, Bernard picked up his cup that still has tea in it and looked out into his office window as he sips some tea. Etched in his face is the look of a triumphant person, as if all of his plans will go smoothly without any interference.

"Hehe. Just a few more. It's so close now. With the your revival, the Legion will rise again…soon…. And sooner, our dark goddess…~"

To be continued….

* * *

 _Note: Apologies for the late update. Work has become so heavy since the start of September that I wasn't able to immediately do updates. I know this has been short but this is all I can manage for now while still being busy with work. Thank you for understanding and enjoy reading._


	26. Chapter 25 - Vert's Happiness and Worry

Chapter Twenty Five – Vert's Happiness and Worries

Meanwhile, back at the Leanbox flagship vessel….

"No. I don't think that is a good idea." Vio said in a strict tone at Harley who has approached Vio to tell her that they are staying for a while at the Eastern continent to explore the place more. They are currently conversing at the corridor leading to the ship's quarters.

"Eh? Why not?" Harley asked, a bit disappointed. "Me and Bahus haven't actually fully explored the Eastern continent yet. I still have yet to complete my logbook of data regarding the many fairies of the world…!"

"And I'm saying that it's dangerous for you and Bahus to wander around here." Vio insisted. "You do realize that the people of Dorfa are aggressive towards Leanbox right now thanks to the misinformation spreading around the city. And I believe that the locals saw you helping out some of our forces so expect them to be not too friendly towards you."

"Vio is right, Harley." Bahus wholeheartedly agreed. "It is indeed dangerous for us to stay and continue our journey for now. It would be best if we let things cool down between Dorfa and Leanbox before we proceed."

"Come on. The Eastern continent is vast, anyways. I doubt Dorfa will be pursuing for us when we're in a different town or city." Harley said, insisting her plan.

"Your terribly hard to convince once you made up your mind, huh." Vio said with a sigh. "Fine. It's your funeral. But if I were you, I would tell Vert about this as well. You'll just make her worry if you leave without her knowing."

"Ahaha…. Uh…, I was planning on telling her." Harley replied but a tone of uncertainty is in her voice.

"Wait…. Are you seriously not going to at tell Vert about it?" Vio asked, perplexed about Harley's reaction.

"Well knowing her, she'd be hard to convince to let us stay here at the Eastern continent. But hey, I already left a note at her lounge so it's enough, right?"

"No, Harley. That's not enough. It's not even in a polite manner, either." Bahus said as he places his hand on his forehead.

"Regardless, me and Bahus here will be staying at the Eastern continent. We'll just immediately leave the borders of Dorfa and we'll be safe, right?"

Vio was about to continue arguing with Harley until her attention got called by one of the ship's operators.

"Don't you two leave just yet, okay?" Vio told Harley and Bahus as she goes in to approach the operator who called for her attention.

"Well that sucks…." Harley sighed.

"We better just follow their suggestion, Harley. Even I feel it's better that way." Bahus said with complete resolve.

"Where is Vert, anyways?" Harley asked as she wonders.

"I believe she is currently playing with little Yuu in her room." Bahus answered straightforwardly.

"Heh. Well Vert has been craving for a little sister for a long time now, after all." Harley said with a grin on her face.

"I don't think craving is the right word-…"

"Hey…. We should sneak out now while we have a chance…." Harley interrupted to Bahus.

"I already said no, Harley. I don't want you to be in trouble. So. Stay. Put." Bahus said sternly, sounding like a father lecturing his daughter.

"Booo. You're no fun at all as always, Bahus." Harley muttered before pouting.

* * *

Meanwhile in Vert's living quarters….

"Hahahaha~ I'm so good at this game~!"

Yuu was busy playing a platform game on the gaming console of Vert. As she does so, she munches on some chocolate chip cookies, disregarding the fact that some crumbs are getting on her clothes. She just continues on playing and eating to her heart's content.

"Here's some beverages-… Oh dear me."

Vert enters her quarters carrying a tray that contains a pitcher of water and an empty glass plus a cup of hot, green tea probably for herself. As she does so, she can't help but notice the messy clothes of the little girl playing games on her new console.

"Oh dear me. Look at you. Hmhm." Vert said with a sigh and a smile as she puts the tray down on a nearby table and picked up a hand towel and used it to clean off the crumbs gently from Yuu's clothes.

"Whoops. Ehehehe~ I was so busy with the game that I didn't noticed it got all messy. Hahaha~" Yuu said cheerfully as she let's Vert clean her.

"Hmhm~ But do be mindful next time, okay~?" Vert said with a smile as she has finished cleaning Yuu's clothes.

"I will~" Yuu replied cheerfully as she shoves the piece of cookie in her hand to her mouth and munched it.

"Hmhm~ Good girl." Vert said as she gives the little girl a gentle pat in the head. "I'm amazed that you know how to operate my new gaming console."

"Well it was pretty straightforward to use." Yuu answered as she bites on another cookie. "I just opened it, slapped in a game disk and it's all good. Hehe~"

"Wow~ How clever of you~" Vert said in admiration towards Yuu as she gives Yuu more gentle pats in the head. " _That means I made the right call in regards with the hardware and user interface of the console. If Yuu was able to operate it with ease, then I bet other children will be able to as well. Hmhm~ take that Northern continent….~_ " Vert thought happily in her mind. "So, what game are you playing?"

"I just randomly picked up a fun looking game to play." Yuu said as she picked up the case of the game disk to check the title. "Ooh. Here! The title is Psych-…!"

"*Gasp!* I completely forgot!" Vert suddenly blurted out, interrupting Yuu, as she stood up to go to her cabinet and started looking for something. "Oh goodness me. It's not here…."

"Huh…? What is it, miss Vert?" Yuu asked out of curiosity.

"Hmhm. I will tell you if you call me big sister~"

"But we're not even sisters." Yuu said in an innocent and straightforward manner before having another bite on her cookie.

"Ahaha…. O-of course, dear." Vert said with an awkward smile. She seems heartbroken about it too. "Hmm… but I do wonder where I put that small box?"

"Oh.~ So it's a small box." Yuu said before heading towards the game console and pointed at the thing that is under the console itself, being used as one of the leverage. "The stand of the console looks like an odd box. Could that be it?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Vert asked before looking at the direction. "*Gasp!* Oh goodness me…! That is it…!"

Vert then approached the place to fully confirm if it is indeed the item she was looking for.

"Whew…. This is it, alright."

She then took out the box from underneath the console, but in doing so she also removed the other item being used for leverage.

"Hmm… whoever arranged the things in my quarters and used this precious thing as leverage for my new console will surely get a scolding."

"Uhm…why does the console need to be raised up, anyways?" Yuu asked out of curiosity.

"O-oh. Ahahaha. Well…, that's something I will tell you about in another time." Vert said awkwardly.

And just after saying such, they heard a short, tiny buzz from the area where the console is.

"Huh? What happened?" Yuu said as she reaches for the game controller. "Huh? The game is not responding? Whaaat? I haven't even saved it yet…!"

"Ahahaha. It…must have crashed or something. I'll fix it later for you, sweetie." Vert said a bit awkwardly before directly unplugging the console from the power outlet.

"I think it just broke."

"Hahahahahaha oh I doubt it did, sweetie. It just needs to get some rest." Vert said even more awkwardly as she goes to sit on her bed. "Anyways, sit here beside me, dear."

"Okey dokey~" Yuu said as she cheerfully sat beside Vert on the bed.

"Hmhm. Now then…."

Before Vert could continue, she looked at the box reminiscently for a while first before smiling and looking at the little girl.

"Yuu…. You know… I was about to give this to you when you were still very little."

"Ooh~ So it's actually for me, huh." Yuu said happily.

"Hmhm~ That's right." Vert replied before giving Yuu a gentle pat in the head. "But then the big battle at the Western continent happened. And because of it I failed to wear these things on you. And the worse part of it was…I thought I lost you during that battle."

"So...I was with you when I was still a baby, huh." Yuu said, finding what Vert just told her baffling. "So…are you really my mom?"

"Ahahaha…. Uhm… no my dear. But I can be your big sister if you like~"

"Oh. Uh…sure, I guess?" Yuu replied, not knowing what to really answer.

"Splendid~! Hmhmhm~~" Vert cried out merrily as she hugs and cuddles the little girl tightly.

Their moment together got interrupted, however, when someone knocked on Vert's room door.

"Vert, can we talk? I have something important to tell you."

It was Vio's voice that spoke behind the door. And by the sound of her voice, it seems an urgent matter.

"Oh. I wonder what that could be…?" Vert muttered as she stood up. "Dear, stay here for the moment until I get back, okay? And also, hold on to this for me."

Vert then handed over to the still sealed box to the little girl.

"Since this is mine, can I open it myself?" Yuu asked cheerfully.

"Nuh uh~ I still want to give them to you personally, my dear. Hmhm~" Vert said teasingly to Yuu. And as she opened the door, she was immediately greeted by Vio outside and led to a place where they can speak in private.

"Aww… but I wanna know what is inside this present now." Yuu said a bit bitterly as she stares at the pale purple box in her hand. "Hmm….it doesn't look like its sealed tight enough. Maybe if I peaked inside…."

But then she thought better not to almost immediately after looking for a place in the box to slightly open. She thought that Vert might get sad if the surprise is already revealed.

"Oh well. I guess I'll wait instead."

She then looked around Vert's room to look for something to do while she waits. And after seeing that there isn't much, Yuu decided to turn on the game console once again to play. And sure enough, after plugging it in the power outlet and pressing the power button, the console came back to life and is running normally.

"Alright! I guess it isn't broken, after all." Yuu said cheerfully as she picked up the controller and played her game on the console once more.

As for Vert and Vio's conversation….

"What…? Are you certain that is correct…?" Vert said in shock but managed to keep her voice muffled as she heard what Vio just told her.

"There is no denying our intel, Vert. Sachika is going to be executed for the crimes of treason to the government…." Vio repeated to Vert reluctantly. "What we don't know right now is when she will be executed."

"No…. It won't happen. Because I'm going to put a stop to it." Vert said before turning her back on Vio to leave.

"Don't be an idiot Vert…!" Vio said as she pulled Vert back by the arm. "Remember, our ties with Dorfa are very unstable right now. Interfering with their own internal affairs will only make matters worse for us…!"

"Don't you care about Sachika's life at all?!" Vert can't help but raise her voice at Vio. "Are we just gonna let her die there for reasons I know she wouldn't do?!"

"Of course I do care about her…!" Vio muttered a bit loudly. "Trust me, I do give a damn about this, Vert…! But I'm not just gonna let you dive in there and make matters worse! Do realize that we are still in heat with Dorfa for reasons that we didn't even did!"

"Ghh…."

Taken aback by Vio's hoarse voice, she fell silent as her mind gets filled with thoughts of how to resolve all of the issues Leanbox suddenly encountered.

"I know the news shocked you, Vert…. But I don't want you to cause anymore conflict that could escalate into something akin to war…." Vio said reluctantly.

"This…this is all my fault…." Vert said with a trembling voice. "B-but we have to do something, Vio…! We can't just stand here and let Sachika die a meaningless death…! Ghh…. I'm a patron unit of Celestia but… I can't even do anything for Sachika…."

"This has nothing to do with you unable to to do anything for her as a CPU, Vert…. It's just that it's a situation where it is difficult for us to make a move." Vio told Vert. "Don't worry. I have formed a plan. For now, all we can do is to depart as agreed upon."

"But what are you planning to do?" Vert asked out of concern.

"Once we gained a good enough distance, I'll deploy one of our speedboats and do a stealth extraction of Sachika from behind."

"A-are you sure it will work?"

"I honestly don't know, Vert. I've never performed something this big before, after all." Vio said calmly but her voice can't completely hide her nervousness. "You'll just have to trust me, then."

Vert stared at Vio for a moment before breathing in deep and speaking her mind.

"I trust you, Vio. But do promise me that you'll remain safe out there. Save Sachika, and get out of there without getting identified, okay? I don't want to lose you along with Sachika, after all."

"Hmhm. All to make sure I remove that worry off of your face." Vio said teasingly at Vert with a forehead flick. "Anyways, it's about time that we depart this place. Shall I give the orders now?"

Vert gave what Vio just mentioned a more thorough thought. Would she really put Vio at risk to save Nitroplus from impending death? But it's also bothering her that she couldn't save Nitroplus herself, either. After taking a deep breath, she has finally made up her mind. She might regret it for the rest of her life, but chances of saving Nitroplus are there. It's a huge gamble, but she'll bet on the risk.

"May Celestia guide you, Vio. And yes, we should depart now. Just…make sure that you are fully prepared for your plan once we're a good distance away from Dorfa's lands."

"Thanks, Vert. I won't let you down." Vio replied before leaving to go to the ship's deck to give the command of departure.

"*Sigh* I hope I made the right choice on this one…. Please, guide us into success, our dear goddess Celestia." Vert said weakly. If it weren't for Vio, she might have done something reckless that could have caused unimaginable consequences. Now feeling helpless, all she could do now is to pray for Vio's success.

* * *

Meanwhile at Dorfa….

"Aha. So today is that time."

"Yes, General. All preparations for the execution of the traitor are completed by my partner, Sanguina." Bernard told General Hanagata. The two of them are in the general's office along with Sherman who seems to be conversing with the general before Bernard came in to give his report.

"Excellent. To be honest, this is the first time Dorfa shall execute one of it's servants of peace." Hanagata said bitterly. "It is a great humiliation to our dear city and it is only fitting that the person who humiliated us be severely punished."

"I still do fail to see why miss Sachika was accused of this, though." Sherman butted in.

"Well, your former fencer companion was the leading cause of this ASIC infiltration, Sherman. Haven't I already showed enough proof of that?" Bernard told Sherman coldly.

"I apologize for my words of doubt then, sir." Sherman said calmly. "It's just that I find it hard to believe at first. If it's indeed true, then justice should prevail."

"And that is why I've sent you here, Sherman." General Hanagata said before facing Sherman. "Although I did mentioned that I will execute the traitor myself, I wouldn't want to dirty my own hands with the traitor's blood. Therefore, I shall hand over that role to you, Sherman."

"A wise choice, General." Bernard agreed. "Sherman is indeed a capable executioner enough to immediately kill a person without much of a blood shed. He can perform the execution nice and swiftly."

Sherman, however, just stood there looking at Bernard with his usual calm expression. But he isn't smiling, though.

"What is the matter, Sherman? Not feeling honored to be given such an opportunity by the General?"

"I am indeed honored, in fact." Sherman replied almost immediately while wearing his usual calm face with a smile. "Very well. I shall be the one to end miss Sachika's life."

"Very good. Now in a few more hours, the execution will-…"

"Terrible news, sir." Sanguina suddenly butted in the conversation as she entered the room. "The traitor has managed to escape from her escort guards."

"WHAT?!" General Hanagata cried out in surprise.

"How did it happened, Sanguina?! Answer me!" Bernard angrily inquired.

"I was merely told by the guards about this, master. But it seems that she managed to fight her way through her escorts while she is being transported to the execution grounds." Sanguina said in her usual businesslike tone.

"What a bunch of impotent, worthless guards!" General Hanagata angrily bellowed. "Fire them immediately! Useless people are not needed here at Dorfa! And as for the escaped traitor…!"

He then looked at Sherman with his furious eyes.

"Sherman…, hunt her down. And kill her upon sight! Bring her dead body to me!"

Remaining calm about it, Sherman faced Hanagata and gave him bow of respect.

"As you say, General. I shall eliminate the traitor for the good of Dorfa."

"Go! Now! Before she could escape!"

After giving another bow, Sherman headed out to fulfill his duties given to him by the general.

"Tell me…, Bernard, has Leanbox left our lands already?" General Hanagata asked while huffing after letting out his anger.

"Yes, my general. They have already left our docks just recently."

As for Sherman who is outside of the Main Hall right now….

"It seems something inevitable has come. I wonder how prepared you are…, miss Sachika." Sherman muttered as he gaze up at the sky. After such brief moment, he started walking again to search for his former fencer companion.

"Now then, let me see your resolve in living…."

To be continued….


	27. Chapter 26 - Rogue Nitroplus

Chapter Twenty Six – Rogue Nitroplus

"I have to escape…. I have to get out of here….! I don't wanna die just yet…! I have to live…! I have to live for Yuu's sake…!"

That's what circulate inside Nitroplus' mind as she anxiously sits in the bed of her prison cell. After all, the time of her execution was now. She still finds it hard to believe that she got branded as a traitor despite not knowing how she even betrayed the government in the first place.

"Tch…. If they already think I'm a traitor to the government…, then I guess it wouldn't hurt if I do enact the role of a true traitor…." Nitroplus mumbled with bitter frustration. "I cannot die here…. I must escape…."

"Okay…. I feel like I'm remembering something I keep telling myself before…." Nitroplus muttered to herself as she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. "If you're stuck, take a deep breath and relax…, you'll eventually find your way…."

And after doing so, she slowly opened her eyes as if she has completely calmed her nerves now.

"You'll find your way, me…. Hmhm. I know it."

And a few minutes later, Nitroplus can hear a couple of guards coming towards her prison cell. And sure enough, as they got near, they stopped in front of her cell door.

"Heh. Time to say goodbye, traitor." Said one of the guards smugly as he opens the cell door.

"And don't make any wrong moves, you hear? We know where to hit you where it will hurt. Hehe" said the other guard as he points his rifle at Nitroplus.

"As if I have any other choice…." Nitroplus mumbled bitterly to the guards. "I served this city well but even with insufficient proof, I got branded as a traitor…. Some government we have here…."

"Not enough proof? Hah! The Defense Minister got so many solid proof, girl!" Mocked the guard who opened the cell door. He then procured a pair of handcuffs to use at Nitroplus to restrain her. "Now, stand up and turn your back towards the opposite wall. I'm gonna cuff your hands."

Without uttering a word, Nitroplus did what the guard just said.

"Oh yeah…. I just remembered something…." Nitroplus mumbled as she is about to be handcuffed by the guard.

"Eh? What are you babbling about?" The guard said half annoyed.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that… I don't think it's my time to die just yet."

And unsuspected by the two guards, Nitroplus made a swift maneuver and gave the guard behind her a strong uppercut right in the chin. The attack instantly knocked out the guard.

"What the…?!" Shouted the second guard holding a rifle. But before he could even aim at Nitroplus, the knocked out guard fell down on him, staggering the armed guard.

"And as for you…!"

Doing another swift movement, Nitroplus gave the armed guard a strong, straight kick in the abdomen as he staggers from his unconscious fellow guard.

"Gaaaah!" Cried out he armed guard as he hit the wall behind him with a loud thud along with the other guard.

"Not gonna waste anymore time…. Their unmanly screams of pain might have alerted the other guards." Nitroplus muttered as she picked up the rifle needed to defend herself in case she encounters a resistance force. "I hope I don't have to use this to get out of here. If so, I guess I'll simply incapacitate them by shooting at their legs or arms."

And as expected, before she could even begin her escape, soldiers with rifles already appeared at the exit of the corridor.

"Tch… and that is the only way out of this floor." Nitroplus mumbled. "No choice…! It's an underhanded trick but in desperate times like this…!"

Nitroplus then swiftly grabbed hold of one of the unconscious guards and placed him in front of her, acting as her human shield.

"You merciless bastard…! Using a human shield…!" Shouted one of the soldiers positioned by the exit of the corridor.

"I know you guys won't shoot your fellow men. But as I have said, I have no intentions of dying here. I'll clear my name from all of this…!"

And suddenly, Nitroplus came charging in towards the soldiers while still carrying the unconscious guard at full speed.

"She's coming…!"

"Damn it! We can't open fire at her!"

"Haaaaaaaaaaa!" Roared Nitroplus as she collides with the soldiers like a battering ram hitting a fragile wall. The soldiers were knocked out in disarray successfully by Nitroplus.

"Off I go…!" Nitroplus muttered as she made a mad dash towards the stairs.

"Oh no, you won't!"

Out of the blue, another soldier with a rifle appeared in the stairs and has a good aim at the running girl.

*Bang!*

"You're too slow to react, soldier!" Nitroplus yelled as she did a sliding maneuver to dodge the bullet. She even used her momentum to kick the soldier off balance. The force of the kick was strong though that the soldier hit his face hard on the floor as he stumbled down, knocking him unconscious.

But before Nitroplus could reach the bottom of the L shaped stairs, she has met resistance as soldiers open fired at her.

"Damn it…." Nitroplus mumbled with frustration as she steps up again to get some cover from the barrage of bullets. As she looks for a way to get through the fire, she has spotted something to use from the unconscious soldier she just kicked earlier.

"No choice…. It's gonna be ugly but I have to use it. I pray to Celestia that it only stuns them…."

It were grenades that Nitroplus has spotted. Cornered, she took the grenade and pulled the pin before running back down to throw it.

"Fire in the hole, bastards!"

*Boom!*

As the explosion on the floor below happens, Nitroplus took advantage of the smoke and jumped into the commotion and made a run for it towards the exit. She managed to get through but as she approached the exit, two more soldiers were there and are ready to open fire at her.

"Out of my way…!" Nitroplus shouted as she fires the rifle in her hand. However, instead of aiming for the soldiers, she simply aimed for the ground where the soldiers are standing to put them in disarray and take cover.

"And this!"

*Boom!*

After throwing the last grenade at the entrance, she took advantage of the disarray and smoke once again to make a swift exit from the prison entryway.

"Ghh…. Fire! Fire at the…traitor!" Yelled one of the staggered soldiers to his fellow men.

But before they could react and fire their rifles at Nitroplus, the walls of the entryway to the prison gave way and collapses at the soldiers.

"Oh crap…. I think I overdid it." Nitroplus muttered with worry as she managed to reach a thicket nearby to hide and catch her breath. "I think I just added something on my status with that move. First a traitor and now…a terrorist, I guess…. *Sigh* Why did I do to deserve this struggle…?"

But not wasting anymore time, Nitroplus decided to go back to her apartment room to gather what she can carry with her.

* * *

Doing it as stealthily as she can to get near the apartment complex, although it wasn't much of a chore since people are still evacuated from the area around the place, she managed to reach her apartment room.

"But I can't stay here for any longer…. I can't feel Rawmeat's presence around, so I guess my Fury is hidden somewhere with magic suppression. For now, I'll just change my clothes before I set off to retrieve my Fury…. The entire city might be already on alert for me, though."

As she rummage her clothes cabinet, something caught her eye in the pile of clothes.

"This are…the clothes I was wearing ten years ago." Nitroplus recalls as she picks up the black jacket. And all of a sudden, a flash of memory hit her, giving Nitroplus another wave of headache.

"Gh…. It's as if my mind wants to remember something…but at the same time something is preventing it from remembering. Tch…. Now I'm even more curious as to what really happened with my head."

And as she gazes upon her old clothes while her headache slowly subsides now, she can't help but smile a bit as a thought came to her mind.

"Hmhm. Yeah, this will do."

And just after a few minutes, Nitroplus has completed wearing her old clothes. The clothes that defined who Nitroplus was before she lost her memories. However, since Nitroplus has no recollection of memories from the past, she is kind of bothered by her looks as she observes herself in front of a mirror.

"Uh…okay. It's…kind of revealing almost all over if not for this jacket." Nitroplus muttered embarrassingly as she looks at herself at the mirror. "I can literally feel the breeze down there. I wonder why this is my preferred clothing?"

But suddenly, a knock on the front door was heard, and it immediately distracted Nitroplus from what she was doing.

"So I guess I indeed got followed…." Nitroplus mumbled nervously as the knocking went on. "Why knock, though…? They could have just barged in if they want to…."

Without wasting any time, with no other way out since jumping out of the window is not an option due to the sheer drop, Nitroplus immediately picked up a kitchen knife and carefully approached the front door.

"I'm not sure if a kitchen knife will do the trick to just incapacitate them a little, but I have no choice…."

Going behind the door, Nitroplus carefully unlocked it and simply waited for the door to open, which will eventually hide her from view once opened.

And sure enough the door slowly opened, and Nitroplus can hear footsteps from behind the door.

"I'm so sorry about this…. But I guess I'll have to use another human shield…." Nitroplus quietly muttered to herself.

And without having anymore second thoughts, Nitroplus made a quick stride from the door and lunged at her pursuer with knife in her hand.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"Wh-what the…!?" Nitroplus blurted out in surprise as she gets a better look at her pursuer, who fell down on his rear and shaking in fear. "K-kuroe..?!"

It was none other than Yuu's friend, Kuroe. And he's completely slumped on the floor after almost getting attacked by the weary Nitroplus.

"S-sorry for barging in suddenly, m-miss Sachika…! I-I actually brought you s-something…!" Kuroe said while still trembling in fear.

"N-no, I should be the one apologizing, Kuroe…." Nitroplus said with a sigh before easing up her stance and closing the door. "Anyways, how were you able to-…"

But before Nitroplus could finish her question, she has spotted something familiar from Kuroe's hand. It was a long bag big enough to fit a long sword and a few other stuff. What made it familiar to her is that it's the same bag used when her weapons got confiscated by the guards during her arrest.

Noticing Nitroplus looking at the bag, Kuroe lazily stood up since he's still a bit shaken and presented the bag to Nitroplus.

"U-uhm…here. R-rawmeat plus a gun is inside this bag…. I checked…." Kuroe mumbled shyly without looking straight into Nitroplus.

Surprised by the news, Nitroplus immediately grabbed the bag from Kuroe and checked the contents. And sure enough, it contains her trusty, enchanted silver revolver pistol and beside it is her most reliable companion of all; her crimson long sword Fury.

" _M-miss nitro…!_ " Blurted out Nitroplus' crimson sword, Rawmeat. " _It's so good to see you again! *sob* I-I thought we were about to die…. *sniff* But you defied the odds once again, miss nitro! Truly the destroyer of evil cannot be easily killed! Our flame of justice isn't easy to be extinguished!_ "

"Ahaha…. Yeah, I missed you too." Nitroplus said half awkwardly and half happily as she picked up her sword. As she does so, she immediately felt the warmth of her Fury's power flow back into her body from her arms. "Well it's been only a day since we got separated but…yeah. It's good to be back here with me once again, partner."

"Uhm….what did it mean by 'we were about to die'?" Kuroe asked simply out of curiosity.

"Well…it was said that if the Fury's master dies, the fairy within the Fury dies as well." Nitroplus explained.

"That's…quite a dark ending for both." Kuroe expressed sadly.

"By the way, how were you able to get my weapons out of the room where they placed this?" Nitroplus wondered.

"Uhm…well… the soldiers didn't really hid it well enough to be honest." Kuroe explained.

"What…do you mean?"

"W-well…the warehouse where they put confiscated Furies isn't that well protected in my opinion…." Kuroe started explaining. "Although there were some guards around the three story warehouse plus some magical runes written on the walls, there were tall grass around the back of the warehouse that I used to hide whenever a guard pass by. And…as for getting to the Fury…I climbed up some loose ledges on the side of the warehouse where they kept your Fury…."

"You're…explanation is pretty vague, Kuroe." Nitroplus can't help but mention with a sweatdrop. "Although judging from what you just said, it sounds like you did some pretty good thievery there."

" _Indeed, miss Nitro. A master thief in the making._ " Rawmeat commented in agreement.

Although their words only made Kuroe flustered out of embarrassment.

"I-it's not like I had a choice or anything…! I-I had to retrieve your weapons if I want to help you, miss Sachika…! I-I nearly got caught by a guard while doing that, you know…. I only got away after using makeshift gun loaded with pepper bullets…."

"Why though…?" Nitroplus quietly muttered her question. "Why help and get involved in my problems…?"

"W-well, I…" Kuroe paused for a moment while embarrassingly scratching his head, thinking of the right words to say. "Well… I believe in your innocence, miss Sachika. I mean, I've seen it with my own eyes how you protected everyone during the attack. And how you bravely fought the monster that attacked the orphanage. And…"

Kuroe paused for a moment once again and blushed even more.

"…I don't believe that Yuu's guardian is a bad person at all…."

Touched by the words of the young boy, Nitroplus can't help but give out a smile. She then crouched down so that her eye level is lower than Kuroe's and gently pats his head.

"Thank you in believing in me, Kuroe. I really appreciate it."

And when the still embarrassed Kuroe glances at Nitroplus, he got startled by something that caught his eyes and immediately looks away, even more embarrassed.

"Hm? What's up? What did you saw in me?" Nitroplus asked in confusion. But as she retraced the place where Kuroe got a glance of, she finally realized why due to the way she is crouching down.

"O-oh. Sorry about that." Nitroplus oddly said in a calm way as she stood up. "Not my intention to show my white underwear."

" _Hmm?_ _Oh! You're wearing you're Nitro Blazers uniform once again! I'm a fool to not have noticed it immediately…. Are we really back in business now?_ " Rawmeat excitingly said, breaking the awkwardness in the air around them.

"Oh, so this is what this outfit is called, huh."

"A-anyways, miss Sachika, uhm…what do you plan to do now?" Kuroe asked out of concern this time.

Nitroplus looked at Kuroe for a moment before letting out a hefty sigh and a smile.

"Well I plan on clearing my name from all of this accusations, of course. Although since that is currently difficult right now, I plan on escaping and leaving this place for good."

"But won't you still get hunted down…?"

"I am aware of it. Actually…"

Nitroplus then looked away from Kuroe to gaze at the window, despite it being covered by a curtain.

"…I guess you could say that I'm simply extending my life before the inevitable happens."

" _I don't believe that inevitability will ever come to you, miss Nitro!_ " Rawmeat yelled at Nitroplus. " _Miss Nitro- no- Sachika Kibagahara's noble flames is something that is never easy to get snuffed out! You may not remember it now but you said before that your noble flames won't and will never disappear until all evil has been cut down…!_ "

"Rawmeat…."

" _You have friends and allies out there ready to help and are eagerly awaiting for your return, miss Nitro! Especially now that they know you are still alive! And I'm certain that lady Ame has already heard the news and is very much eager to see you once again…!_ "

"A-ame…? Ghh…!"

After hearing the name, Nitroplus' head started hurting again as her brain tries to remember once more but at the same time something is preventing it from remembering, causing her headaches.

" _M-my apologies, miss Nitro! I didn't mean to induce pain upon you!_ "

And while Nitroplus is reeling in the pain of her headache, Kuroe looked around the room. And when it looked like he didn't found what he was looking for, he approached the now recovered Nitroplus.

"Where is Yuu?" Kuroe asked straight on. "I thought you let her stay here, miss Sachika."

"O-oh. You didn't know, huh…." Nitroplus muttered after hearing out Kuroe. "Well remember when Yuu went unconscious after the battle? I let lady Vert take her in for the moment to get some good rest while this place is still being vacated after the attack. So I'm guessing that…she's on board the Leanbox ship."

"Oh…. G-good for her, then." Kuroe said.

Sensing the air around Kuroe, Nitroplus takes a deep breath and approaches the little boy.

"I'll be joining in with the Leanbox ship after I managed to escape." Nitroplus started. "Hopefully they haven't left yet. So…wanna come with me?"

"E-eh?"

"Now that I think about it…" Nitroplus muttered before looking once more at the little boy. "…you should definitely come with me. I feel like you'll have a better future with Leanbox than staying here, Kuroe."

"Wh-what makes you say that…?" Kuroe asked bashfully.

"Well…how should I put it…?" Nitroplus started to wonder on what words to use.

" _Miss Nitro?_ "

"Hmhm. Let's just say that I'm concerned about what future lies ahead for Yuu's friend." Nitroplus finally answered. "You're a very bright boy, Kuroe. Although quite a shy one, I can tell that you have many potential talents within you. I just feel that…those may get wasted here."

"I-I see…." Is what Kuroe only managed to say after hearing Nitroplus' words.

"Think about it, Kuroe. At least Yuu will be happy that she has her friend with her on foreign land." Nitroplus told Kuroe, hoping to convince the little boy.

"I – well, I-…"

*BOOM!*

All of a sudden, an explosion occurred on the room's wall facing the side of the streets. The force was so strong that the wall instantly crumbled and came crashing down to the ground below. It has also created quite a cloud of dust inside the rest of the room.

"*cough* *cough* Are you…alright, Kuroe…?!" Nitroplus immediately asked after getting knocked down by the force of the explosion.

"Y-yeah…. *cough* *cough* *cough* I'm okay…. A bit shaken but not hurt…." Kuroe, who got knocked down as well, replied while covering his face with his hands to prevent inhaling some dust.

" _Miss Nitro be on your guard…! I sense some strong hostility coming towards us…!_ " Rawmeat warned to Nitroplus.

And there Nitroplus saw a person come in to the room from outside via the large hole in the wall created by the explosion. The place was still filled with clouds of dust, but the silhouette of the person can be easily identified by her. And almost immediately, fear filled Nitroplus' body.

"Gh…. I knew I'd be hunted down…. But I never expected it to be found this quickly…. And of all people…, it has to be you…. And do you really need to destroy the wall...?!" Nitroplus muttered with gritted teeth.

"I guess I got to you first before you could manage to leave. It is quite a perfect opportunity, then. Don't you agree, miss Nitroplus?"

And when the person managed to get past the cloud of dust, Kuroe was finally able to see who Nitroplus was referring to.

"?! S-sir Sherman…?"

"I'm surprised that you managed to return the Fury back to miss Nitroplus, Kuroe." Sherman said to the little boy is his usual calm manner. "You're quite skilled at your age in doing some infiltration. I do pray though that you don't become a thief in the future."

"Don't involve the child…, Sherman." Nitroplus told her former companion, wielding her sword and raised it between Kuroe and Sherman as though shielding the little boy from him. "He only believed in my innocence, so that is his reason for helping me. And so should you, Sherman. I'm innocent…! I swear!"

Remaining as calm and composed, Sherman closed his eyes before saying his true intentions to Nitroplus.

"As much as I want to believe, I'm in no position to make a true judgment of your situation. Although…"

Sherman then brandished his Fury in front of Nitroplus and assumed a fighting stance.

"…I am given the orders to execute you. I apologize, but the general's orders are absolute. This is all for the sake of Dorfa's peace and stability."

After hearing these words, Nitroplus can't help but feel great amounts of fear inside her body. She knows that Sherman is a powerful Fencer. And now this powerful person is in front of her and is ready to kill her.

"I see…. You're given orders to kill me upon sight. However…."

Steeling her nerves, fighting her fears away, Nitroplus ignited her crimson sword into flames.

"…I won't go down without a fight!"

Without a sign of getting intimidated by Nitroplus, Sherman gave the girl a little smile while still in his fighting stance.

"Very well, then. Show me your resolve, miss Nitroplus." Sherman said calmly and unwavering. "Show me your resolve in living. Let us see if you can survive this fight of ours."

"Oh I won't fight for my survival…." Nitroplus muttered. And slowly, the flames surrounding her sword crawls up into her arms until she's surrounded by the raging flames. But the flames are not burning her in the slightest. Instead, the flames are acting like Nitroplus' protective barrier; a barrier that will ensure her safety and provide enough power to Nitroplus this fight of hers.

"I will fight to live…. I will live and make sure that those who set me up are going to face my burning justice!"

"I see. Then let me say those words that you often mention during your previous battles." Sherman said while still remaining calm and composed. "If you want to live…, you better kill me before I kill you."

"Heh…. I can't believe my line got used at me…. But bring it…!" Nitroplus said before assuming her fighting stance.

And so begins Nitroplus' battle for her life….

To be continued….


	28. Chapter 27 - Fate of the Accused

Chapter Twenty Seven – Fate of the Accused

"Kuroe, I need you to flee this place. Now..." Nitroplus instructed to the young boy.

"H-huh…? Wait, what about-…?"

"She's right, Kuroe. Even I don't want you getting caught in our crossfire." Sherman said calmly without letting his guard down towards Nitroplus.

"B-but where should I be heading…?"

But before Nitroplus answered Kuroe, she gave off a small grin first at the young boy.

"Yuu is waiting for you, Kuroe. Go and catch up with her."

Kuroe was a little confused when he heard those words from Nitroplus. He gave it some thoughts though before coming to a conclusion to what Nitroplus wants to say.

"O-okay then…. I'll go look for Yuu. Good luck, mam…."

And with that, Kuroe ran out of the demolished room without looking back.

"I just hope you don't go after him, Sherman." Nitroplus said with a warning tone as she returns her gaze at the man. "Kuroe has nothing to do with this. He's simply looking for Yuu, that's all."

"You have nothing to worry about. It is not in my nature to harm the innocent." Sherman said calmly without letting his guard down.

"Heh. But you seem fine in harming me. I'm innocent too…." Nitroplus said frustratingly with a tinge of sarcasm.

"Oh, I have my reasons for this." Sherman clarified to Nitroplus. "And I would advise that you give your best shot. For if you don't, your imminent death awaits."

"Why you…BASTARD!"

Suddenly filled with rage, Nitroplus' entire body got engulfed by flames before she kicked the floor underneath her to lunge at Sherman with full force.

But the fencer in white was prepared and used his own powers to block Nitroplus' attack.

*Boom!*

The impact from their forces colliding with each was so devastatingly strong that it created an explosion between the two, further demolishing the apartment building.

Due to the force of the explosion however, the two fencers got thrown away in opposite directions.

"Heh. I'm glad you're going all out on me, miss Nit- no, Sachika." Sherman said unfazed after he landed on his two feet of the ground after the devastating collision of their powers.

"And I'm done just yet!" Yelled Nitroplus as she emerged from the smoking building, heading straight towards Sherman like a comet due to the flames around her body.

"Then come at me." Sherman said as he prepares to clash swords with Nitroplus.

"Then feel the fury of my roaring flames!" Nitroplus yelled as she slashed down on Sherman with a large band of flame.

Sherman didn't move and simply parried the attack.

"?! Ghh…!"

The attack, however, was so powerful that Sherman's knees buckled a bit due to the sheer force of Nitroplus' flames.

"Excellent…. I'm really… feeling the power and heat of your resolve, Sachika…." Sherman said with a grunt as he pushes back Nitroplus. He can really feel the heat of her attack as tongues of flames almost licks his clothing on either side. "But I won't be overwhelmed easily…."

Using his powers of light, he gathered it all on his Fury and concentrated it there.

"Haaaaaaa!"

With one strong push, Sherman was successfully able to throw away Nitroplus and repel her attack.

"Gh! What the heck…?" Nitroplus muttered as she staggered from Sherman's defensive maneuver.

"Ryushin…, Sky Slash!"

After his sword and his body got surrounded by his light energy, Sherman swiftly dashes straight towards the staggering Nitroplus and bombarded her with swift, strong slashes.

" _Ghh…! Damn this technique of his…!_ " Nitroplus cursed in her mind as she parries Sherman's swift sword slashes with great difficulty. " _I may be fast thanks to Rawmeat but his agility with this technique way surpasses my own agility…!_ "

"Haaaa…!"

With one strong swing of his sword, Sherman was able to repel and extinguish Nitroplus' defensive flames around her body.

"Tch…. Damn it…!" Nitroplus cursed as she staggers from the attack.

Sherman, however, remains calm, confident and composed as he prepares to attack Nitroplus once more.

"Why you…!"

Reigniting her flames around her body, Nitroplus kicks the ground underneath her and lunges toward Sherman with great force, followed by a series of sword slashes imbued with her roaring flames.

But Sherman was prepared for it and started parrying every sword attack Nitroplus threw at him.

"Your attacks have always been strong, Sachika. I do not doubt about it." Sherman said while defending himself from the volley of furious sword slashes from Nitroplus. After seeing an opening, however, he poured a lot of his energy onto his sword and repelled the girl once again with one strong slash.

"But you're attacks right now all feels off. You're hesitating." Sherman said calmly.

"That's nonsense…." Nitroplus huffed as she regains her composure.

"No, you are hesitating." Sherman repeated, sounding a bit disappointed. "Did I not mentioned that you give it your all?"

Nitroplus went silent for a moment after hearing those words from Sherman. Then slowly, she grasped the handle of her sword so tightly that her hand was shaking. And then, she uttered what was really going on in her mind….

"It's because I don't really have the courage to harm the person who helped and looked after me and Yuu when we're both in the state of confusion and helplessness…."

Sherman stayed silent after hearing those words from Nitroplus. But his expression remained the same, a calm and composed look.

"Yuu and I have been grateful for your continuous help. Because of Sherman, even though I don't have my memories up to now, me and Yuu were able to live and be accepted here at Dorfa…." Nitroplus stated before her voice starts to tremble as she goes on. "I'm still grateful with you…. That's why when all of this accusations fell upon me, I was anxiously waiting for you to come and aid me…. But what did I get…?"

Nitroplus then looked up at Sherman with a furious expression, however her eyes are starting to become watery as she speaks.

"I was expecting to get hunted down by my comrades…. But I never expected that it'd be you, Sherman…. And you're even willing to kill me…. So after all those times of helping me…, just because of an obvious frame up you'll just blindly charge in and kill the me due to unproven accusations and without even knowing my side of the story first?!"

"I am merely following the orders given to me, Sachika." Sherman said calmly, assuming his usual battle stance. "Now fight me without hesitation this time. If you wish to survive this ordeal, then defeat me."

"I thought I can fight you with all I have, Sherman…. I even mustered all my strength out to face you…. I steeled my heart in order to do a serious battle with you…. But I can't…. I really can't do it to the person I'm indebted with my life…." Nitroplus said meekly. "I know you're loyal to Dorfa…. And you're a warrior that believes in peace and justice. So instead of fighting…, please hear me out, Sherman…."

Sherman paused for a moment while looking at the girl with his calm expression. And slowly but surely, Sherman eases his body from a battle stance to a calm and normal stance.

"Is that so, Sachika…?"

Seeing Sherman move away from a battle stance, the heavy feeling in Nitroplus' chest immediately lighten up. For her, it was a glimmer of hope. She knew Sherman is the kind of person that is willing to hear out her side of the story amongst the accusations being thrown at her. And so with that, Nitroplus lowered her guard down and was ready to tell Sherman what really happened and that the accusations of betrayal to the government are all false.

"Sherman…. Thank you…! I knew you'd-…"

 ***Slash!***

All of a sudden, blood started gushing out of Nitroplus' body and is immediately soaking her clothes fast after receiving a swift but powerful attack as she goes near Sherman. Her face showing an expression of confusion and surprise.

"Gh…. Wh-whaa…."

That was all Nitroplus could mutter before falling down into the ground like a rag doll.

"My apologies. But I did warned you…."

It was Sherman who dealt the fatal blow at Nitroplus. He took advantage of Nitroplus' lowered guard and slashed the girl in the body with one quick maneuver.

"I have given you the options of your fate…. And this is what you have chosen…. I am sorry, Sachika." Sherman muttered as he gazes calmly at the face down body of Nitroplus, a pool of blood already forming underneath her fatally damaged body.

"May Celestia guide your soul..."

To be continued….


	29. Chapter 28 - Hope

Chapter Twenty Eight – Hope

Little Yuu was still waiting for Vert's return in her quarters in the ship after the CPU was called by Vio to discuss some important and private matter with her. And since the game console she was playing with broke down once again, Yuu got nothing to do in the room but wait for the CPU to return. And it's evidently making her bored as she is unable to stay still within the room, looking for something to spend her time with while she waits.

"Hmm…there's nothing to do in here…." Yuu groaned as she failed to find something that can use to entertain herself. "Doesn't miss Vert have a handheld console in here? Some gamer she is if she doesn't have one."

And as she looks around some more, Yuu suddenly felt the ship move.

"Wait, whaa? We're on the move?"

As she peered through the window though, Yuu can't tell if the shop really was sailing now since the window was too high for her to see properly.

"Hmm…. If we really are on the move…, *gasp* that means that sis is on board now~!" Yuu concluded as she excitedly went towards the door to go out of the room.

But before she could reach the door, it already got opened from outside by Vert as she has just returned from her private conversation with Vio.

"Oh my. Hmhm~ Where are you headed, Yuu?" Vert said to the little girl upon seeing Yuu approaching the door in a hurry.

"Are we sailing already, miss Vert? Does that mean that sis is already on board here~?" Yuu excitedly asked the CPU.

Those words, however, made Vert's heart skip a beat. Nitroplus was still in the city, after all. And is about to be executed due to charges of treason. She was thinking of a way to explain the situation to the little girl, but she didn't expect that it will be sooner than what she had hoped.

"I'll be going on ahead to meet her now~!" Yuu cheerfully said as she trots past Vert who is still transfixed by the door.

"?! Yuu, wait…." Vert suddenly blurted out as she turns around to stop Yuu from going out of the room.

"Hm? What's the matter, miss Vert?" Yuu asked with a bit of confusion.

Already pinned in the situation, Vert breathed in a good lump of air through her nose before exhaling it all out in a slow but calm manner. She has to make sure that she doesn't sound worried while she explains the reason why she finally allowed to sail her ship even without Nitroplus on board.

"Yuu, my dear…" Vert started as she lowers herself down to Yuu's eye level. "Yes, we are setting sail towards Leanbox right now. But…"

Vert paused for a moment, gathering words in her mind before proceeding.

"…Sachika isn't on board just yet. She's still in the city, taking care of a few things before she goes to join us later."

On that point, Vert had no choice but to lie at the little girl. She doesn't have the strength to say straight out that Nitroplus was about to get executed later unless Vio successfully extracts Nitroplus out of the city without raising the city's alarm.

" _I ask for forgiveness for this, oh great Celestia…. But I just can't bear to tell the truth to this precious, little girl. I do not wish to hurt her emotionally._ " Vert prayed in her mind solemnly. She is aware that the truth will be revealed sooner but Vert isn't prepared to reveal it just yet. She is still hoping that Vio's rescue mission later becomes a success, after all.

"What?! Then why are we leaving already?" Yuu asked with a frown on her face.

"It is because the government of Dorfa wants us to be away now, my dear." Vert said calmly with a little smile on her face. "Nitro-… no, Sachika is still busy doing something in the city but she promised that she'll follow suit soon. For now, I ask that you be patient for now and be a good girl, okay? Hmhm."

Yuu still can't help but feel sad about it, however. But leaving with no other choice, Yuu could only make a sad face as she nods her head weakly in agreement.

"Hmhm good girl…." Vert said softly before giving the little girl's forehead a gentle kiss. "Don't you worry, little one. I'm here for you while Sachika isn't here yet."

"But…the console is broken again." Yuu mentioned as she points at the location where the game console sits.

"O-oh. Is that so? Hmhm let me check." Vert replied with a bit of a worried tone as she goes to the location of the game console and inspects it.

" _O-oh…. It's hot. It must have overheated._ " Vert said in her mind only as she felt the heat coming out from the console, where she immediately pulled out the power cable to prevent any more incident from happening. Then she took a slight glance at Yuu for a bit to make sure that the little girl is far from where she's standing. As she's mostly a part of the development team behind the game console, she doesn't want to look like her console was poorly made in front of Yuu, after all. " _This is bad…. I'll just swap it with a working unit later…._ "

As Vert looks around for something that could entertain Yuu for a while, her eyes caught a glimpse of the small box that she was about to give to Yuu earlier.

"Hmhm. I forgot to give this to her."

Vert then picked up the small box, still wrapped in plastic, and faced the little girl with a smile before approaching her.

"Yuu, I forgot to give this to you. Hmhm~ here, open it."

"Oooh~! Thank you~"

And as Vert handed over the small box, Yuu wasted no time ripping off the plastic of the small purple box and immediately opens it once .

And inside the box, Yuu saw a pair of white hairclips shaped like crosses with purple highlights. But as Yuu look closely at the hairclips, the design looks somewhat familiar to her.

"Hmm…they look more like game controller buttons than hairclips." Yuu commented as she picks one up and observes it properly.

"Hmhm~ because they are hairclips designed as gamepad directional buttons, my dear." Vert said merrily as she picks one of the pair of hairclips and kneels down to face Yuu at the little girl's eye level. "And I think a girl who likes to play games like you suits an accessory such as this. Here, let me put it on your lovely hair."

As Vert put on the hairclips on Yuu's hair, the little girl can't help but look around a bit as if she's noticing something.

"Aren't you hearing something, miss Vert?"

"Hmm? Like what, my dear?" Vert asked back as she pauses from clipping the second pair of the hairclip and tries to listen carefully for anything different. "Hmm….I don't hear anything peculiar."

"Hm. I swear I heard someone calling out." Yuu muttered as she stays still once more as Vert puts the last hairclip on her head.

"Hmhm~ Must be only the wind blowing from the window as we set sail, my dear." Vert told Yuu in assurance. "There. You look miles cuter compared to earlier now.~"

Yuu then looked at a mirror by Vert's dresser and checked the new look on her hair.

"Ooh~ They do look nice. Now my head looks like a gamepad!~" Yuu gleefully said as she starts pressing the button-like designs on her hairclip.

"Hmhm~ I'm glad you liked it."

But as Yuu fiddles with her hairclips, she paused again after seemingly noticing something once again. However, this time Vert seems to have heard it too since she paused to listen as well.

"Someone is calling, alright." Vert mentioned as she stands up from a kneeling position. "The sound is coming from afar, though."

"Oh! It could be sis Nitro already!" Yuu shouted excitedly.

Hearing this from the little girl, Vert can't help but be excited about it too. If it is indeed Nitroplus calling out from afar, then that only means that Nitroplus has managed to get away from the city and could be calling out all the way back at the docks.

"Yuu, wait here for a moment, okay? I'm just going to confirm who's calling out."

"Aww…. Can't I come? I got nothing to do in here, anyways. And I wanna meet up with sis too!" Yuu demanded, throwing a little tantrum.

"Oh Yuu…."

After giving it some thoughts, Vert gave out a small sigh followed by a gentle smile before giving out her answer.

"Hmhm. Okay, then. Let's go and check it out who it is."

"Yaaaay!~ I really hope that it is indeed sis now! And I hope she's okay. Hehehe~"

" _I sure do hope so too, little one…._ " Vert said in her mind as she remains hopeful too that whoever is indeed calling all the way from the docks is indeed Nitroplus.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the city of Dorfa….

Sherman stands firmly as he gazes down at the sprawled and bloodied body of his opponent.

"I know you're not dead yet, Sachika. I haven't dealt a killing blow at you just yet. And I know you don't die easily. You are a False Life virus carrier as well, after all." Sherman spoke to Nitroplus' damaged body.

"Gh…ghh…"

"Hmm…. You can only manage a grunt and stirring of your head because the damage I did to your body is enough to paralyze your body from below your neck." Sherman told Nitroplus before wielding his weapon once again. "But that wasn't intentional of me. You can say that I…hesitated for a second there."

Nitroplus managed to stir her head to take an angry glance at Sherman but is unable to talk her frustration at the man before her.

"I guess you being a former comrade of mine made me hesitant for a short moment as I was about to eliminate you." Sherman said calmly as he approaches Nitroplus and points his sword at her head. "But this time…, it is really goodbye now, Sachika. I am sorry."

"S-sorry…, your butt…!"

Out of the blue, Sherman suddenly felt a sweeping kick from behind, staggering him from his stance.

"Ghh…! What in the…?" Sherman muttered as he regained his composure.

And swiftly, Nitroplus stood up on both feet after delivering the kick at the unsuspecting Sherman. And there Sherman saw that the damage he dealt on Nitroplus' body is all healed and mended like he didn't injured her at all. But stains of blood are still evident on Nitroplus' clothes.

"Impossible…." Sherman quietly muttered as he calmly sweeps away the dirt off his white coat. "How were you able to heal yourself without being able to reach out for your healing medicine stash…. The damage I dealt on your body was enough to almost completely paralyze your body."

"Let's just say that I came in well prepared…." Nitroplus said as she gets engulfed by her protective flames once again as she points her flaming sword at Sherman. Although this time, her flames look more enraged than before.

Sherman's eyes narrowed a bit though as a thought came into his mind.

"You have a healing capsule in your mouth ready…." Sherman stated with a little bit of surprise. But eventually his expression returned to his usual calm self and he even gave out a little smile. "Quite clever of you, Sachika…."

"I don't care what you say or whatever crossed your mind…." Nitroplus said with raging anger in her tone as her aura-like flames burn even angrier. "I will no longer hesitate this time…. I will no longer hold back…. If you want me dead, then you lost the opportunity earlier. Now…, it's my turn."

This declaration of Nitroplus has made Sherman assume a defensive stance almost immediately after hearing her. He can really feel the hostility within Nitroplus this time, and it unintentionally made him go on the defensive.

"Sherman…, if you wanna live…" Nitroplus started as she prepares to kick the ground to lunge at Sherman.

"…YOU BETTER KILL ME BEFORE I KILL YOU!"

To be continued….


	30. Chapter 29 - Live or Die

Chapter Twenty Nine – Live or Die

As dusk arrives, sounds of clashing steel echoed once again as Nitroplus and Sherman continue their duel to the death. Sparks fly from their blades as their brute force are being used to swing their respective swords at each other, with the intention of really killing one another.

"Haaaa!" Yelled Nitroplus as she swings her blazing sword hard down at Sherman.

"Hm…!" Sherman breathed out as he parried the attack. "Amazing…. Never have I felt this power from you before during battles and training before…."

"Grrr…! Haaaa!" Yelled Nitroplus more as she continues to bombard Sherman with strong slashes of her sword without even replying to what the man has mentioned. But she has her reasons as to why she remains maimed.

Ever since she was able to recover from Sherman's near fatal blow, her head has been aching so much. And it is because of flashbacks of her memories are flooding her mind, with the usual, unexplainable force blocking those memories from being recovered from her mind. Nitroplus is trying her best to ignore the pain as she do battle with Sherman. She's even using the pain as a driving force for her to keep pressing on with her attack towards Sherman.

"Gh…! Heh…. Your attacks are definitely strong when in full force, Sachika." Sherman remarked as he continues to be on the defensive. "However, I can tell that something is wrong in you right now. Is it your memories trying to recover again?"

"?! Gh…!"

Hearing this has taken aback Nitroplus, suddenly stopping her offensive for a second.

"Got you…!"

Being quick-witted and agile, Sherman took advantage of that opening and did a sideways slash attack on Nitroplus' body.

"?! Tch…!"

The attack managed to hit but thanks to Nitroplus' protective flames absorbing the impact of the attack, she got away unharmed from the attack. However the force of the attack was enough to stagger Nitroplus, making the girl lose her footing.

"Pin her to the ground; _Lightfall!_ "

"Gaaaah!"

The beam of light that Sherman has called forth has directly hit Nitroplus from above.

"Hm…? Well now…. This is unexpected."

To Sherman's surprise, once the beam of light faded, Nitroplus was unharmed by his strong light magic attack. However, it did managed to extinguish the protective flames of Nitroplus, not to mention that she's in a kneeling position and is catching her breath as if making sure of her protection took a toll on her energy.

"I see you've finally exhausted yourself. Quite a pity if so. Our exchange of attacks were getting good, after all." Sherman said calmly as he prepares to attack the weakened girl. "This is it, Sachika."

Sherman then formed a light magic circle underneath Nitroplus and from the looks of the circle, it's one heavy attack that will surely kill Nitroplus on the spot even with her regenerative medicine ready.

"Burn her to a crisp; _Prismatic Bu-…!_ "

*Bang!*

"Gh…!"

Unable to finish his enchantment, Sherman staggered a bit due to an unexpected attack. When he felt something warm on the left side of his head, he reached out for it and found that blood was trickling down there.

"Tch…. I missed…."

Hearing those words from Nitroplus, Sherman looked at the weakened, kneeling girl and saw that on her left hand is her signature revolver pistol held at waist level and is pointed at his head. It's as if Nitroplus made a quick draw of her gun to make sure Sherman doesn't expect any ranged attack from her. And she almost succeeded.

"Heh. All of the heated sword fight of ours lead me to forget that you're also a commendable gunslinger. Not bad at all, Sachika. You almost landed a fatal blow at me there." Sherman said with a still calm voice despite having an injury on the side of his head.

"Too bad my aim got lousy at the worst possible time…." Nitroplus said as she stands up while her protective flames slowly ignite and surround her body once more.

"If not for that, however, you could have killed me." Sherman said calmly as he resumes a fighting stance.

"You're unbelievable, Sherman…." Nitroplus commented as she prepares to do battle once more with the man, this time she has both sword and gun at the ready. "Still calm after almost getting killed…."

"Then…, try to do your best again to kill me."

And all of a sudden, Sherman threw his sword upwards into the sky before muttering a single word.

" _Fairize._ "

"?! I won't let you…!" Nitroplus shouted as she fires her gun at Sherman to stop him from accessing such a powerful form.

But it was already too late as the sword swiftly thrusts itself on Sherman's elevated body before the bullets of Nitroplus' gun got deflected and cause damage at the man.

And from there, Sherman's body got surrounded by light as his body slowly dons armor with a design that looks similar to Ryushin's mechanical body.

"Damn it…." Nitroplus muttered as she takes a few steps back, away from Sherman.

And in a short moment passed, Sherman revealed himself from the light in his fully transformed state, like he is now fully wearing Ryushin's armor over his usual clothing.

" _Say, rawmeat, can't we do the same thing like he did? Can we even do something like that before?_ " Nitroplus asked her Fury trying her best to not recall anything from her past since her head is still currently aching due to the effects of her memories trying to return despite her amnesia.

" _Y-yes, miss Nitro. But we haven't really mastered it yet like he does._ " Rawmeat replied a bit nervously. " _Well actually, this protective flames surrounding your body is the initial state already but still in a very incomplete form._ "

"What…?! So, that means…."

" _We can only manage to go this far even back then when you still have your memories, miss Nitro…._ " Rawmeat said with a tinge of shame in the tone of her voice. " _But I can make you wings made of flames plus I can propel you up by igniting concentrated flames under your feet like a pair of jet…! And also-_ "

"Haaaa!"

Without getting to complete her sentence, Sherman went ahead and attacked Nitroplus head on.

"?! Ghh…!"

Nitroplus was quick enough to parry the attack from a swing of Sherman's sword, but the impact was so strong that her legs almost buckled.

"Prepare yourself even further, Sachika…. Because I will not hold back. _Sky Slash!_ "

Sherman then pushed away Nitroplus before he started bombarding her with fast, swift and even more powerful sword slashes in every direction.

"Gh! Not good…!" Nitroplus muttered as she tries her best to defend against Sherman's onslaught.

"Take this…!"

And with one swift and powerful slash of his sword, Sherman was finally able to break through Nitroplus' defense and was able to hit the girl hard in the body.

"Ghaaa…!" Nitroplus breathed out in pain as she falls to her knees after receiving a strong hit with Sherman's sword in the body. Blood pours down on the right side of her abdomen as she clenches that location to stop the bleeding.

"I'm not going to let you have the chance to recover, Sachika." Sherman said before giving the girl a hard sideways kick to knock Nitroplus down, making her fall on her back.

"Gh…! D-damn you, Sherman…!" Nitroplus yelled as she reached for her gun and points it at Sherman.

"Not this time…."

*Slash!*

" _?! MISS NITRO!_ "

"?! Gaaaaaaaaahh!"

With one quick slash of his sword, Sherman severed Nitroplus' hand holding the gun from the wrist without even a tinge of hesitation.

"Ghh! Grrrr….! Sherman!"

Writhing in pain and filled with rage, Nitroplus forced herself to stand up quickly and lunged at the man with all her strength, while being surrounded once more by her protective flames.

"It's no use, Sachika. You're time has inevitably arrived." Sherman calmly muttered as he parries the aggressive flailing of Nitroplus with her sword using only one hand.

"You're the one who is going to die, bastard!" Nitroplus said with rage as she continues to bombard Sherman with sword slashes imbued with her ferocious flames.

"Hmhm. You truly don't fail to impress me, Sachika." Sherman mentioned with a little smile as he continues to simply defend against Nitroplus' assault. "Even if you use only one hand, your strength and agility in swinging your sword is still very strong and fast. That despite losing your memories, your own muscle memory made you perform as if you still remember to fight like a true Fencer during battles."

"I don't give a f*** with what you say!" Nitroplus yelled in rage as her attacks intensifies even further.

"Very well, then." Sherman muttered before letting out a strong shockwave from a swing of his sword.

"Ghhh…!"

Nitroplus tried to block the attack by swinging her sword towards it.

"Ggghhhh!"

But with only one intact hand to use to swing the sword, her strength wasn't enough to stop the attack and it once again toppled the wounded fencer down.

And as she fell down to the ground, a light magic circle suddenly formed underneath her.

"There is no escape this time, Sachika." Sherman said as he is about to execute his magic skill. "Accept your fate."

Nitroplus can't help but look shocked when she realized that Sherman was right. She wasn't in a good condition to make a quick escape from the magic based attack. She's badly weakened and injured. Not to mention that the skill was already about to activate and is only waiting for Sherman's cue.

"No…." Nitroplus mumbled helplessly as she gazes at her own fate.

" _Prismatic Burst._ "

And as the magic circle activates underneath her, Nitroplus closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and looks at Sherman with a smug and determined stare. In her mind, at least during her last moments, instead of looking fearful for her life, Nitroplus decided to put a brave stance in front of Sherman. She wants to give the impression to Sherman that this isn't over for the man.

"I will still hunt you down and kill you, Sherman…." Nitroplus started as she give out a brave but menacing stare towards the man. "The afterlife won't stop me from getting to you…. Mark my words…."

And after Nitroplus' words, the skill finally activated when the columns of light gathered in the middle of the magic circle where Nitroplus is at, before glowing brightly and ending with a strong explosion.

"Hmm…. It's done." Sherman said as he reverted back to his normal form.

And as the area cleared up of dust from the explosion, there Sherman saw no signs of his former Fencer companion. Nitroplus was nowhere to be found around the area. Sherman made sure she's not around by feeling her presence, but he felt not even a speck of Nitroplus around the area he is in. What remains, however, is the severed left hand of Nitroplus along with her revolver pistol. And Sherman stared at it for a moment before turning his eyes to his Fury.

"Ryushin, carry the hand and weapon. We'll bring it back to the general." Sherman ordered to his companion.

"Acknowledged." Ryushin replied in a robotic tone as he proceeded to pick up the hand and gun before turning to his master.

"Let's go." Sherman said calmly before turning his back to head to the city. As he walks back, however, Sherman glanced back at the place where he can see the setting sun is at by the sea. There he saw the silhouette of the Leanbox flagship sailing away at a distance. From there, he stopped at his tracks for a moment before giving out a slight smile from his face.

"Good luck." Sherman muttered before resuming his walk back to the city to report the status of his mission.

To be continued….

* * *

 _ **Note:** Good day to all. Apologies for the consistent long wait updates. Work schedule has become very tight since September of last year started. But I will conclude this story no matter what. Thank you to all who reads my works and I hope you continue to read further and look forward to more in the future. Cheers._


	31. Chapter 30 - Return of a Friend

Chapter Thirty – Return of a Friend

Meanwhile, during the battle taking place between Nitroplus and Sherman went on, aboard the Leanbox flagship vessel….

"Vert, wouldn't it be easier for you to transform and fly back to the docks and check whoever is calling?" Vio asked as she wait with the CPU by the walkways around the ship. "What if it's already Nitroplus?"

"No, I don't think it's Sachika that is calling for us." Vert replied, who was standing beside Vio and is holding the hand of little Yuu. "I know Sachika's distinctive voice even from afar. The one calling from back to the docks sounds like it's a young man yelling."

"Huh. Then why not check it for yourself rather than sending out a speedboat and some sailors?"

"Vio, I don't want to cause any more trouble for the city." Vert explained. "I'd really like to check myself but I believe they'll be able to detect my presence once I'm stepping on their territory."

"O-oh. I guess that's true." Vio muttered, hiding her embarrassment from Vert by looking away. "Anyways, look out. Someone is about to go overboard."

When Vert looked to her other side, she saw that Yuu was no longer beside her and is now a few feet away from her and is trying to climb the railings. And such sight really alarmed Vert.

"?! Dear, don't do that!" Vert said in a panic as she quickly goes to the girl and gently puts her back down. "Why were you climbing up, my dear?"

"Well, I wanna see who's yelling earlier." Yuu answered without any hesitation.

"Oh you…." Vert sighed in relief. She then proceeded to gently pat the head of the little girl. "Hmhm. I think the people I sent to check are about to return. So for now, wait patiently with me. Okay?"

Yuu then replied with a lively nod and a smile.

"Hmhm~ good girl."

And after a few minutes more, the boat that was sent to check has finally returned and is being hoisted back up into the ship.

Unable to contain her excitement, Yuu rushes into the scene to see who was getting their attention back from the shore.

When Vert and Vio took a peek while the boat is getting hoisted up, they already got a glimpse of whom the person calling their attention was.

"Well, look at that. This is quite unexpected." Vio muttered plainly.

"Oh. This is a surprise." Vert muttered with a smile on her face.

"Ooh~! Lemme see! Lemme see!" Yuu cheered on in excitement as she jumps many times in an attempt to take a peek.

"Hmhm. Calm yourself, my dear." Vert said as she gently hold down the excited little girl. "Although I am sure that you will be pleased to see who is the person my sailors has picked up back from the shore."

Listening to Vert's words, Yuu settled down and waited for the lifeboat to be completely hauled up.

As a few minutes passed by, the lifeboat was finally hauled up. But from her height, Yuu can't still see who the person was. She can only see two of the ship's sailors aboard the lifeboat.

"Wh-where is sis?" Yuu can't help but ask as she failed to get a glimpse of Nitroplus is on board the lifeboat or not.

But as the two female sailors got off board the lifeboat, one of them reached out to the lifeboat and helped someone get off board.

"Wait, huh? Whaaaaa?"

That was little Yuu's reaction when she saw who jumped out of the lifeboat with the help of the sailor.

"Uh…hi there Yuu. I bet you didn't expect me to be here, huh…."

It was none other than Yuu's friend, Kuroe.

"I-I know I said that I'd prefer to stay back in the city but- gaaaah!"

With a loud thud, Yuu suddenly tackle hugged Kuroe due to her delight, both making them fall down on the floor.

"Yaaaay~! I won't be alone while I'm on an unknown place~! Hahahaha~" Yuu said cheerfully as she cuddles Kuroe merrily.

"Gh…! Oww… G-get off me, Yuu…!" Kuroe groaned as he rubs the back of his head after hitting the floor due to Yuu's tackle hug.

"Whoops. Ehehe~ sorry there, Kuroe. I just got a little excited." Yuu said as she lets go of Kuroe and stood up.

"Oh, now look what you did, Yuu. You've dirtied your white hoodie." Vert mentioned as she kneeled down to wipe away some dirt off from the little girl's clothes. As she does so, Vert proceeded to look at Kuroe with a gentle smile to talk with him.

"You're Yuu's closest friend, correct? Hmhm." Vert started as she finished cleaning off the dirt on Yuu's clothes. She then proceeded to get close to the boy to talk with him properly.

"U-uhm yes, ma'am…." Kuroe said with a stuttering voice as he blushes due to Vert being so close to him, unable to make eye contact properly with the CPU.

"Hmhm. I guess you wanted to join Yuu in leaving the city as well, huh." Vert said as she can't help but notice how Kuroe is covered in dirt all over. "Not that it's an issue, mind you. Hmhm welcome on board my ship, little one."

"N-not really, ma'am…." Kuroe replied shyly.

"Oh? Not really?"

"Well…actually…"

Kuroe then glanced a bit at Yuu before looking back at Vert, only to look away again with a blush.

"…actually… miss Nitroplus has asked me to join up with Yuu. I was with her a while ago before she…"

Kuroe paused for a moment before proceeding to talk.

"…before she told me to go on ahead and meet up with you guys. But when I got to the docks, the ship already left. So I tried my best to get your attention while the ship wasn't still too far off the docks."

"Your voice does sound a bit hoarse. My apologies if you have to scream so much just to get our attention, little one." Vert said as she pat Kuroe's head gently.

"N-no, it's okay ma'am…."

"Hey, hey! Kuroe, I got something to ask too." Yuu suddenly butted in. "Where's sis now?"

"H-huh? W-well…uh…"

Trying his best to think of what to say without mentioning the current situation of Nitroplus to Yuu, Kuroe ended up looking straight at Vert for a moment before looking away again, looking blushed.

"Oh. Hmhm I see."

Understanding the situation, Vert stood up and looked at the young boy with a calm smile her face.

"I believe your friend needs some rest, Yuu. Plus look how soiled his clothes are. We should better let him get cleaned up."

"Awww…okay." Yuu groaned in disappointment.

"Hmhm good girl. Now return to the room for now while I help your friend tidy himself up." Vert told Yuu while patting her head. She then glanced at Vio to tell her to escort the little girl back into her room.

After seeing Vio and Yuu off, Vert then turned her attention once more to Kuroe.

"Hmhm. Now I wasn't lying when I said that I'll help you get cleaned up. But before that, I need to know something."

Vert then lead Kuroe to an empty corridor of the ship. She then leaned down to meet the young boys eyes before starting to ask some questions.

"I know you wanted to protect Yuu's feelings. And I commend you for thinking about it." Vert started to say with a calm smile on her face. "But something has happened to Sachika, correct? Was she able to break out of prison or something?"

"W-well ma'am, miss Nitroplus was able to break out of prison, alright." Kuroe started to relay nervously. Nervous not because of what he is about to relay, but nervous because of the beautiful foreign woman right in front of him. He's somewhat captivated by the beauty that is in front of him.

"I see. Go on, then." Vert muttered to let Kuroe know that she is listening intently.

And then Kuroe continued on by telling Vert how he managed to retrieve Nitroplus' sword and how he was able to meet up with Nitroplus after seeing the girl sneak her way towards their room in an apartment building.

"That is so brave of you, little one. Hmhm." Vert said with a bright smile, admiring how the boy nearly faced danger just so he could help out Nitroplus.

"I-I only did what I think is right, after all…!" Kuroe said defensively, blushing in the process.

"Hmhm~ and what you did was an admirable thing." Vert said, giving the boy a gentle pat in the head. "So, what happened next?"

"Well…as we were about to leave the apartment room, we got attacked suddenly by one of the Fencers of the city government."

Hearing this made Vert's smile fade and turn into a look of worry.

"But before they started to do battle, miss Nitroplus told me to run away and meet up with you guys." Kuroe said, looking down. "As much as I want to stay and help, I can't really do anything against a Fencer. So I did what miss Nitroplus said and went to the docks to catch up with the ship."

"I see…." Vert muttered. "So, who is Sachika up against? Who's the Fencer that attacked her?"

"It's sir Sherman, ma'am…." Kuroe answered shyly and cautiously.

"The fencer with white clothing, huh…." Vert said quietly.

After hearing all those from Kuroe, Vert's instinct is telling her to fly out there and aid Nitroplus from her fight. But her mind is fighting off whatever her instinct is telling her. Going back to the city to help is a risky move, after all. It will also put Leanbox in a much more deeper trouble if she goes there to confront a Fencer of the government. Although yet to be proven, Leanbox already got a bad reputation from Dorfa after the incident no one is yet sure who really perpetuated the attack on the city.

Trying to calm herself, Vert breathed in lots of air into her nose before breathing it all out from her mouth. And it seemed to have helped her since it somehow cleared her mind. She then returned her look at the young boy with a calm smile once again.

"All we gotta do is trust Sachika, correct?" Vert asked the boy calmly.

Kuroe then glanced at the CPU for a moment before blushing again, looks down to avert his gaze before nodding to answer Vert's question.

"Hmhm~ as for you…"

Vert then closes in and gave the young boy a gentle kiss on the forehead. In doing so, Kuroe can't help but get his face so red and be flustered so badly.

"Hmhm~ cute. And that's all I will ask from you. Thank you for the information…Uhm… what is your name again, young man?"

"K-kuroe, ma'am…." Kuroe answered, still flustered.

"Hmhm~ Kuroe. That's all I needed to know. You can use the bathroom here in my quarters to clean yourself up. And if you needed any medical attention, the infirmary is just by the end of this corridor. Nurse Compile will be there if you need her assistance."

"Y-yes... Thank you, ma'am."

"My apologies if I can't be with you to assist you myself, dear." Vert said reluctantly. "But I must discus this matter to Vio immediately. We have to at least prepare in case Sachika needs extraction assistance."

"O-oh. I understand, ma'am…." Kuroe said quietly.

"Hmhm. Then let me at least lead you to the room."

After leading the young boy to the room, Vert then left to discus what she learned from Kuroe's statements to Vio.

"Then all we can do is wait and hope for the best, Vert." Vio said straightforwardly after hearing it all from Vert.

"I know. But…."

"Look. Our original plan was to make a good enough distance from the continent and by nightfall, I will sneakily infiltrate the city to extract Nitroplus out of her prison cell." Vio recited the plan to Vert sternly. "But that is all inapplicable now that we know Nitroplus managed to escape on her own, only to be get caught by one of the Fencers and is now probably doing battle with each other. And on that situation, I'm afraid we can not interfere with."

"I-I know, Vio…. I know…." Vert muttered quietly, hiding her frustration from Vio. "Then I suggest we sail on a slow pace. That way, Sachika can catch up with us if she managed to get away."

"Vert..."

"No, hear me out this once, Vio." Vert said sternly, making Vio go silent in surprise. "If by nightfall…, Sachika still hasn't shown up…"

Vert paused for a moment before resuming with what she is about to say.

"…if she still hasn't shown up, we'll resume our sailing at full throttle. For now, we set sail at a steady, slow pace. Understand?"

Blinking rapidly for a second, Vio then shrugged her shoulders and let out a little sigh.

"Very well, Vert. I'll give the orders."

"Thank you, Vio. Hmhm I knew I could count on you."

"But you owe me a new volume of the novel I'm frequently reading for this, Vert."

"Hmhm. I know. I know.~"

* * *

As hours passed by, when dusk is about to become evening, there was still no signs of Nitroplus appearing over the horizon. Although due to the slow pace of the ship, the Eastern continent can still be sighted from afar.

"Hmm… I wonder when will sis catch up with us. Good thing the ship is moving slowly…." Yuu wondered as she gaze through the porthole of the infirmary she is in as she accompanied Kuroe there for his few wounds to be treated properly by the nurse.

"Yeah…I wonder too…." Kuroe muttered as he let nurse Compile treat some of the scratches he got back in the city.

And as Yuu continue to gaze at the horizon, all of a sudden, a column of light shot up towards the sky and it was coming from the area where the city of Dorfa is.

"Whoa! Kuroe check this out!" Yuu shouted in surprise as she points at the light.

"That's quite bright…!" Kuroe said as he too saw the light from afar. "I wonder what that is…."

"No idea…. But I don't know why but…"

Yuu then touched the part of her chest where her heart is located.

"…it felt quite…scary."

But it seems that it's not only those who were at the ship's infirmary who saw the light.

"That is…quite a powerful offensive magic." Vert muttered as she looks from the porthole of her living quarter. "It's light magic but somehow it felt quite ominous…."

And after a few seconds, the column of light starts to fade away. And another few more seconds passed, it completely vanished.

"It's gone…. I sure pray to Celestia that it wasn't Sachika who got attacked by such powerful magic." Vert said to herself as she averts her gaze from the porthole.

But before she could completely avert her gaze, she managed to see something disturb the waters just a few meters away from the ship.

"What…? Something splashed on the water. And it's not far from our location."

Hurriedly leaving her room to go to the ship's deck, Vert came across Vio from the walkway. And the latter seems to be gearing herself up in preparation for something.

"What's the matter Vio? Where are you going?" Vert immediately asked.

"Vert, if you failed to see what splashed on the water out there, I didn't." Vio said as she goes to a nearby lifeboat. "That was a person, Vert. As I was looking at the horizon due to the light, a few seconds passed I see a person coming from above and plunged into the water. And I'm not wasting any time to call our sailors for help. I'll go check myself."

"No wait, Vio." Vert said as she touched Vio by the shoulder to stop her. "Stay here. Let me do it. Transforming and flying towards there is faster."

Gazing at Vert for a moment, Vio then let out a sigh before showing a slight grin.

"Then what are you waiting for? Transform now and rescue whoever it was."

After giving Vio a nod, Vert then transformed into Green Heart right in front of Vio.

"Whoever it was, I hope he or she is still alive." Green Heart mentioned to Vio as she flies off into the waters and glided on top of it.

Gliding as fast she can, Green Heart was finally able to get a glimpse of a facedown body of a person, floating on top of the water. But as she closes in, despite the dimness of the incoming evening, Green Heart was fully able to make out the silhouette of the person floating over the water.

"Ghh…. C-could it be…?!"

Rushing towards the body, Green Heart reached out and carefully flipped the floating person. And Green Heart's fears were right.

"S-sachika…?!"

To be continued….


	32. Chapter 31 - Care and Cruelty

Chapter Thirty One – Care and Cruelty

"Hnnggh…."

"…ka…? Hey…."

Everything was hazy and blurry….

"…ika…? Sac…?"

The voices and sounds in the surrounding area sound so muffled that they are hard to discern.

"Hnnggh…hmm…"

"…chi…? Sa….ka….!"

"Wh-what…?"

"She's waking up…! Quick, call Compile…!"

"Hnnggh…."

"Oh thank Celestia…. Just hang in there for a moment, Sachika. Compile will be with you in a moment…."

"L-lady…Vert…?"

Sachika was still very dazed. Her vision is still very blurry and her body feels heavy that she can't even lift a finger.

"W-where…?" Nitroplus mumbled weakly as she attempts to sit up from her hospital bed.

"No, no…. You have yet to recover, Sachika." Vert told Nitroplus as the CPU gently pushed back and lies down the weak girl back to her bed. "The healing herb injected into your body hasn't taken full effect yet."

"I-I see…." Nitroplus muttered in response as she got lied back down gently by Vert. As her primary senses start to recover, she is slowly feeling the pain all around her body.

"I'm here now, lady Vert. Apologies as I was taking inventory of our medical supplies." Compile said as she enters the room.

"It is alright, Compile. It just so happens that Sachika here has woken up just a short moment after her rescue." Vert replied calmly.

"W-wait... I got…rescued?" Nitroplus asked in a weak but surprised tone as Compile goes near her to do some check up.

"Yes, my dear. I was the one who found you adrift over the waters." Vert answered. "I'll explain to you later the details once you've fully recovered, Sachika."

"N-no, it's okay…. I think I'm fit enough to listen to the details. I can feel my body recovering thanks to the healing herbs." Nitroplus insisted.

"I see. Very well, then."

Vert then went on to explain on how she has managed to save Nitroplus from the poor girl's impending death from the sea.

"To be honest with you, lady Vert, I really thought I was going to die there…." Nitroplus muttered as Compile finishes her check up.

"Hmhm. Then you are fortunate. It only means that Celestia has been guiding and protecting you." Vert said with a smile, gently patting Nitroplus' head.

"But that was no ordinary offensive magic, lady Vert…." Nitroplus said as she recalls the moment where Sherman used his Prismatic Burst magic at her.

"Hmhm. Never underestimate what our true goddess is capable of, my dear." Vert assured Nitroplus before taking a glance at the girl's left arm. "Although I guess the attack he did made you lose a part of you…."

Nitroplus looks at the direction of Vert's gaze and raised her left arm. And there she sees her hand less arm, bloody and bandaged tightly by where her wrist is supposed to be.

"O-oh…. Right…."

"Hmm…. Seems the herb hasn't completely healed on the severed part." Compile said as she observed Nitroplus' injury. "How did this happened?"

"Or more like how did it all happened, my dear." Vert asked. "But you can tell us later once you have recovered your strength. As for your severed hand, we'll do something about it so don't worry."

"Thank you, lady Vert…" Nitroplus said in gratitude as she lets out a deep sigh while she rests.

"We'll let you rest for the time being. Rest as much as you like. You're in safe hands now, Sachika. Yuu and her friend are both already fast asleep in their rooms. I'm sure Yuu will be delighted to see you. Hmhm."

"I'll be happy to see her as well…." Nitroplus muttered as she settles herself on the comfortable hospital bed. "I think I'll sleep for now, lady Vert…."

"Hmhm. And sleep well, my dear." Vert replied as she gestured to Compile to leave with her so that Nitroplus gets a peacefully good rest.

"I'll be returning in the morning to further check your condition, miss Nitro." Compile said calmly as she goes to Vert's side. "I still haven't checked what could have caused her amnesia, after all."

"True. So that we can help her recover her memories back."

And so after saying their good nights to each other, Vert and Compile left the room.

"Hmhm. Welcome back, Sachika…."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Main Hall of Dorfa….

"General, I heard that Sherman has returned from his mission. I wish to know if he was successful or not."

The one who spoke is none other than the Defense Minister, Bernard. And in front of him is his superior, General Hanagata, who was deep in thought before Bernard barged in to his office.

"Well, does this answer your question, minister?" General Hanagata asked trivially as he points at a certain object on his desk, cleanly wrapped around with white cloth.

"Hm? What's this, General?" Bernard asked cautiously as he reached out for the object.

"Open it to find your answer to your first question, Minister."

And with a bit of reluctance, Bernard opened the wrappings around the object.

"?! What in the world…?"

Inside the cloth wrappings was a severed hand, and it looked like it's in the process of decomposition already as it radiates an unpleasant scent.

"Who's hand is this, General?" Bernard asked as he quickly wrapped around the cloth back on the hand.

"It's what remains of our treacherous Fencer, Minister." The general replied straightforwardly with a sense of accomplishment in his delighted tone. "The traitor is no more and that is thanks to the efforts of Sherman."

"I see. Then I offer my congratulations to you and Sherman then, General." Bernard said formally. "With this issue dealt with, I am sure that those who belittled Dorfa will think twice before dealing with us."

"And because of what has transpired within our beloved city, I feel like it's time for us to further bolster our forces and further increase our firepower…!" General Hanagata declared with might.

"Very good, General. Does this mean that…"

"Yes. We proceed with our plans to gather as many Furies as possible…!" Hanagata said in zest. "Once we've achieved such goal, we can finally spread the influence and might of Dorfa across the entire Eastern continent…!"

"A fine objective as usual, General. Just say the word and we shall gladly pursue such goals. All in the honor of our great city of Dorfa." Bernard said boastfully.

"Now then, if you don't have anymore business with me, I'd like to be left alone in my office." Hanagata told the Defense Minister. "I need some solitude in order to straighten my plans for the future of Dorfa."

"O-oh…! Very well, General. Apologies for barging in earlier." Bernard said apologetically with a bow.

"And take that rotting hand away from my office. I've already known enough so I don't have any use for that any longer."

"Yes, General."

Reluctantly and a bit disgusted, Bernard picked up the object and immediately left the General's office.

Once Bernard has reached his own office….

"Hmph…. I have no use for a rotting hand as well. Sanguina, dispose this for me."

"Very well, sir." Sanguina said as she accepts the hand without hesitation. And as it rests on her hands, Sanguina used her own magic to burn the severed hand. In almost an instant, the hand was all but ash now thanks to her.

"Hehehe. Hahahaha. The old fool doesn't have any idea that he's simply doing what is according to my plans…." Bernard muttered menacingly." For the sake of Dorfa? For him, maybe. But this is all for the sake of reviving the vile goddess."

"But what do you consider this failures, then?"

"Hmm?"

As Bernard turns around to look, there he saw Linda sitting on a chair just by the entrance of Bernard's office.

"Failures? Hahahaha. Oh Linda. True, some did failed to go accordingly. One, the invasion was but a way to pin the blame on the foreigners during their visit."

"But that costs us big. It killed a couple of our brethren…!" Linda retorted.

"Necessary sacrifices, Linda." Bernard answered back calmly. "I even managed to divert their attention to the poor Fencer girl. Quite unexpected that they believed me when I told them that I found out that Sachika Kibagahara is really one of the followers of the vile goddess all this time. Hahahaha!"

"Sounds simple yet effective…." Linda said as she can't help but be impressed about it. "What's your beef with the damn broad, anyways? Why deceive everyone so that she gets captured?"

"Simple. She really won't be executed once she got caught." Bernard answered straightforwardly.

"Huh? If not, then what? I don't get it."

"The General may see it as her being executed. But on the other side of the picture… she was to be used as the vessel to revive the vile goddess' disciple. Our dear Magic…."

Bernard then brandished a small glass tube with a cork that contains a piece of dark shard.

"H-huh? Wait… why do you have that?" Linda bellowed out as she searches her pockets but to no avail. "Grrr…. Anyways, you failed big this time. Your vessel managed to escape."

"Yes. But she failed to completely escape, Linda." Bernard clarified. "Sachika Kibagahara is killed by one of our Fencers, Sherman Shallancer. The girl is no more."

"Yeah. But your vessel is no more. Hahahaha!" Linda can't help but mention with humility.

"Hehe. Yes, quite. But I have already thought of an alternative…."

And all of a sudden, Linda felt a surge of pain course through her body from behind her neck, making her fall to the floor and seemingly paralyzed.

"Gh…. Wh-what did you do, you…bastard…?" Linda mumbled with difficulty as she is slumped on the floor, almost completely paralyzed.

"Thank you for your assistance, Sanguina." Bernard mentioned as he approaches the paralyzed underling. "Want to know what my alternative is? You are."

"Ghh…! W-why me? I'm not…gh…even suitable for it…!" Linda forced herself to say in her paralyzed state.

"Oh on the contrary, you are suitable to be the vessel." Bernard said as he puts the glass tube that contains the shard close to Linda. "I didn't noticed it before but it seems that the shard reacts to you less than any other girl we've tried. Sadly though, you're not… 'cultured' enough yet to be able to handle the possession process…. So we'll keep you nice and whole until you've reached the moment where you can be the complete vessel…. Hahahaha."

"Ghhhh…! Why not just…ghh…find any other girl instead?!" Linda reasoned out as she struggles even more.

"I won't risk losing the shard that contains the soul of the disciple. I'm sure you are aware that every failed attempt reduces the mass of the shard, right? With what's left of it right now, a failed attempt could completely destroy the shard. I won't let that happen again."

"Ghh…ghh…."

Linda failed to say her piece due to the paralysis completely taking over her body. All she can do is breathe and look at Bernard in fright.

"Sanguina, please take our guest to the hideout. And make sure she's kept hidden well and taken cared of."

"As you command, Minister." Sanguina replied as she lifts Linda with both arms like she doesn't have weight before proceeding to use her magic to transport herself to the hideout without being detected.

With the minister left behind in his office, he looked out at the window and gazes at the city landscape in the middle of the night.

"Ah. How easy it is to deceive the naive people." Bernard touted to himself. "Although it seems rushing things doesn't do our cause any good anymore. So I might as well take it slowly but surely this time. Hehehe ohrises. It may not be today, tomorrow or this year…, but one day…. This city…- no… thus entire continent will fall into darkness while our dear goddess rises.~ This continent shall become the realm of the vile goddess…. And I, Bernard, will continue to make the stepping stones in order to achieve our dream realm. And everything…will start…at this very city…. Hehehe. Hahahaha. Hahahaha!"

To be continued….


	33. Final Chapter - To a new Beginning

Final Chapter – To A New Beginning

"Quite the starry night, huh Ryushin. It makes one think that everything that has occurred in the city has never happened."

" _Affirmative._ "

There in the grassy hill stands Sherman with his robotic companion, Ryushin. The fencer who defeated Nitroplus in battle is standing there, looking up at the starry sky and enjoying the calm atmosphere around him.

"Quite peaceful looking, if you don't look directly unto the city that is." Sherman mentioned as he looks down and gazed at the city.

And there he sees the city fully lit everywhere since a lot of people are busy repairing the ruined part of Dorfa even at night.

"The attack really made quite a mess around here, when you look at the city from here. But the city managed to endure." Sherman quoted as he gazes at the ruined parts of the city.

" _An organized attack._ " Ryushin said in a robotic tone.

"Hmhm. I think it's more than just an organized attack." Sherman deduced as he averts his gaze from the city and back to the sky. "Someone may be pulling the strings behind the General's back, I believe."

" _Shall I perform more reconnaissance? Awaiting instructions._ " Ryushin inquired to its master.

"No. We've done enough for now, Ryushin." Sherman said as he turned down the offer of his Fury.

As the man in white clothing stare at the starry sky above, Ryushin simply look at its master in silence.

And after a few minutes of silence, the robotic Fury broke the silence.

" _Inconsistency detected on Sherman's previous battle."_

"Oh? What do you mean by that, Ryushin?"

" _During the final phases of your previous battle, Prismatic Burst was set to execute at maximum output. However, before the execution, I detected that the output has dropped to less than fifty percent just before executing the spell."_

"I see that you've been quite observant during my fight against Sachika." Sherman commented upon hearing his Fury point it out.

There was a slight pause from the robotic Fury for a moment before it proceeded with it's query.

" _Why did Sherman lowered the output if it's his mission is to eliminate the enemy?"_

Sherman looked at his Fury for a moment before speaking out with a little smile on his face.

"I realized that executing Prismatic Burst at full may create a more devastating damage to the surroundings. So Iowered it's power output just enough to eliminate the target."

" _I see."_

Sherman then turned away his gaze from his Fury and back at the cityscape.

Ryushin, however, continued to gaze at its master for a moment before speaking once again.

" _Is it out of sympathy?"_

"Is it really?" Sherman asked back without looking at his Fury.

Ryushin, however, was simply looking at its master. The robotic Fury simply standing there, waiting for its master's answer.

"My previous answers still stands, Ryushin." Sherman answered calmly, looking at his Fury. "However, if you aren't satisfied with such answer, then no. It is not out of sympathy."

Sherman paused there for a moment before giving out his other answer to his Fury.

"You can say that it's more of a salvation."

" _Salvation."_ Ryushin repeated after hearing it from Sherman. And even though Ryushin isn't able to express any form of emotion, Sherman can still tell that the Fury is content with his answer.

" _Affirmative."_

"Ah. There you are, Sherman. I was wondering where you have been."

Aa Sherman turns around at the direction of the voice, he gave out a his usual calm smile upon seeing the person who spoke to him.

"Good to see you out and about now, Marianna."

"Well of course they can't keep me shut in all the time, you know." Marianna replied with a frown. "So is it true that it's you who…eliminated the traitor?"

There was a slight pause from Sherman before answering the girl's with a calm voice.

"Yes, it was me. I was able to defeat Sachika."

"Oh. Well… good riddance to her, then." Marianna muttered bitterly. "Knowing you Sherman, I bet you left with no trace of the traitor, huh."

"So in your eyes too, I see." Sherman muttered gingerly before averting his gaze away from Marianna. "You're all one and the same…."

"Huh? You said something, Sherman?"

"Nothing for you to be concerned about, Marianna." Sherman said calmly and assuringly to the girl before he started to walk down the hill. "I'm tired now. I'm going back to my room. Good night, Marianna."

"Ah. And I just got here too…. Wait up you! I'm heading back with you." Marianna shouted out bitterly as she followed suit with Sherman. "I also heard that boy Kuroe went with the Leanbox people. Is that true?"

And without looking at Marianna, Sherman replied while walking.

"Yes, it's true."

"Oh. I see…. I was kind of growing fond of the little one, to be honest…." Marianna said in a bit of a saddened tone as she walks along behind Sherman.

"It's for the best, to be honest…. That boy might be able to change this forsaken land…." Sherman muttered quietly with a tiny grin on his face, making sure that Marianna hasn't heard a thing.

* * *

Hours passed and the morning has come. The sun rising up by the horizon of the vast sea as the Leanbox flagship vessel, the XBC14 Elite, cruises along the waters as it makes its way home to the southern continent. Inside the vessel, some people on board are already wide awake doing their designated tasks while others continue on with their sleep. However, two certain children on board are wide awake already and are both headed towards the ship's infirmary.

"Slow down, Yuu…! It's not like miss Nitro will go anywhere from the infirmary…!" Kuroe groaned as he gets dragged away by his friend.

"Come on! I'm sure sis will also be happy to see you too, Kuroe.~" Yuu said gleefully as she walks fast while dragging the boy by the arm.

"You're so…forceful…! And I don't think we should be disturbing anyone this early in the morning, Yuu…."

"Ah. We're here."

And so the two children arrived at the infirmary. The door to it was already open, possibly that the head nurse who manage it must have gotten out for a moment.

"*gasp* There she is…!"

And as Yuu pointed out, there is Nitroplus sleeping soundly on one of the infirmary beds.

"She's sleeping, though…. We really shouldn't-…"

But alas for Kuroe as she got dragged in once again by his forceful friend inside the infirmary.

Yuu then proceeded to sit down on the available chair beside the bed of Nitroplus while Kuroe settled with just standing beside Yuu.

"We've only been separated by a day and yet I missed her so much already." Yuu said as she gazes upon the sleeping face of Nitroplus.

"Well…it's understandable since you and her are relatives." Kuroe said as a matter of fact.

"Hmm…she doesn't seem to be hurt or anything." Yuu muttered as she observes the sleeping Nitroplus. Yuu even pulled up the bedsheet on her side to see Nitroplus' body from underneath the sheets.

"What are you doing…?!" Kuroe uttered in a loud whisper.

"I'm just checking to see if she's injured in the body, Kuroe. Sheesh, no need to be alarmed silly."

"But you're disturbing her…!"

"Eh?" Yuu cried out as she looks at Kuroe. "But I'm only checking if she's alri- gwaah!"

And out of the blue, Yuu suddenly felt her cheek get pinched from the side facing towards Nitroplus.

"As loud as ever huh. Hmhm."

"Eh?"

When Yuu turned around, there she saw Nitroplus wide awake and smiling at her while pinching Yuu's little cheek.

"Sis…!" Yuu happily shouted as she dives at Nitroplus and hugged her. "I missed you so much…!"

"Ahahaha. I missed you too, little Yuu." Nitroplus said happily as well as she wraps the girl in a tight embrace.

But because of her embrace, Kuroe noticed what was wrong with Nitroplus.

"Ah. Your left hand…."

When Yuu heard it, she takes a look and found what Kuroe was talking about.

"Where's your hand, sis?" Yuu shouted in surprise.

"Ah…. Well…"

But before Nitroplus could explain, nurse Compile arrived alongside Vert.

"Hmhm good morning. It's good to see that you are awake now, Sachika. And to you too, Yuu and Kuroe." Vert greeted at them with a warm smile. "I was doing some morning stroll when Compile approached me to say that you are awake now."

"O-oh. So you always wake up early huh, lady Vert." Nitroplus commented while patting Yuu's head gently.

"More like she stayed up all night playing games on your personal computer or game console…." Compile can't help but mutter about it silently as she heads for her desk.

"Hm? Did you say something, Compile?"

"Just thinking about doing some inventory of our medical supplies, lady Vert."

"I-I definitely heard what the nurse just said…." Kuroe thought in his mind since he is standing closer to Compile's path towards her desk.

"Hmhm. Now then, I've already called in for some breakfast for you Sachika while I am on my way here. So simply relax and wait." Vert said as she approaches and sits on the chair Yuu was sitting on earlier.

"But what happened to her hand…? How can she play games with me if she's missing a hand?" Yuu said in a saddened tone.

"Hmhm. Sachika will be all right, my dear." Vert said assuringly to Yuu as she gently sits the young girl on her lap. "I've already contacted some people back in at the Leanbox capital in order to make some prosthetics that can be fitted on Sachika arm."

"Eh? What does that mean?" Yuu asked innocently due to the technical terms Vert said that she as a child failed to understand.

"It means I can have a new hand, Yuu." Nitroplus told the confused girl straightforwardly.

"Oh!~ Then that means you'll be okay!" Yuu said happily in relief.

"Yup. Everything will be back to normal for me soon. Hopefully…." Nitroplus muttered that last bit reluctantly before looking at Vert with a tinge of worry.

"Hmhm. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to return to your prime fighting form even with a prosthetic hand, Sachika." Vert said in an assuring tone.

"That is a relief to hear, then. Hmhm."

And moments later, the ship's stewardess brought in Nitroplus' breakfast, which is a healthy serving of ham and chicken sandwiches on wheat bread.

"whaaa? That's the tasteless bread." Yuu said disappointingly.

"It's not your food anyways, Yuu…." Kuroe refuted.

"Well I was planning on eating along with sis. Hehe~" Yuu cheerfully replied.

"You already had cereals for breakfast, though."

As the two children continue their bickering, Nitroplus already started nibbling on a piece of ham sandwich.

"Now then, my dear…" Vert started while clapping her hands together. "I'm sorry for this but can you tell us now your story of what happened after your escape from the city?"

"Oh, I don't mind telling right now, lady Vert." Nitroplus answered as she finishes off the sandwich she was holding. "I'll tell you everything…."

And so in a span of almost an hour, Nitroplus told Vert every detail between her escape from prison up to her battle with Sherman that ended up in her defeat.

"I really thought I was gonna die back there…." Nitroplus said bitterly, remembering the moment she got cornered by Sherman with his magic skill. "Because I literally blacked out when the spell hit me hard in the body."

"That's mean of him! Really, really mean!" Yuu shouted out angrily. "I thought he's a good guy…. But he almost killed sis! He's not a good guy! He's a meanie! I will avenge you, sis!"

"Calm down, my dear." Vert said as she gently pulled Yuu to a hug. "I understand why you are upset but getting revenge is not the answer, my dear."

"B-but…"

"Lady Vert is right, Yuu." Nitroplus said in agreement. "Be angry. Be upset. But don't revenge for me. I'd rather you be safe than be in danger."

Because of Nitroplus' words, Yuu fell silent on Vert's lap. The little girl does look sad about it still, however.

"I…didn't know sir Sherman could easily kill even a friend or ally…." Kuroe muttered in shock. "He almost killed miss Nitroplus without hesitation…. Tch…. He's a bad man…. A bad man…."

" _Seems the little boy is also frustrated about it…."_ Vert thought in her mind as she gazes at the betrayed expression of Kuroe.

"Anyways, that's about it for what I've been through before you found me unconscious and afloat on the water, lady Vert…." Nitroplus said to conclude her story.

"And you are a very fortunate girl to live through despite your near death experience, Sachika." Vert said in relief. "Don't worry. We'll get you back in tip top shape once we're back to the mainland. Now finish your breakfast, dear. We are still a few hours away before we reach Leanbox. So get some more rest."

"I greatly appreciate your efforts, lady Vert." "Nitroplus said with a smile as she finishes her sandwiches.

"As for you two…," Vert said, looking at the two children. "…you won't need to worry about anything. I'll make sure that the both of you live happy under my care."

"Th-thank you…." Kuroe said bashfully, averting his gaze from the CPU.

"Will I be able to play many games?" Yuu asked excitedly.

"Hmhm. Why yes, you can."

"Awesome~!"

"Now why don't you two play along for now? I'll be talking with Sachika about a certain situation in private for a moment." Vert told Yuu and Kuroe as she gently takes the little girl off her lap.

"In private? What's that mean?" Yuu asked out of curiosity.

"Hmhm. It's nothing to be alarmed about, my dear. Just some conversation between us grown ups."

"Oh. Between grown ups…. Okay.~"

"Oh! I just remembered, I managed to fi- I mean, make the console work again. It's already set up in my room so why not play with your dear friend, Yuu?"

"Alright! Come on, Kuroe! Let's play some video games.~" Yuu said cheerfully as she drags Kuroe with him once again.

"Gaaaah! No need to be so forceful, Yuu…!"

And so the two children left the infirmary room to go and play some video games on Vert's room. And with the fact that Nitroplus is now safe on board with her, Yuu can't help but be happy and relieved.

"Alright!~ Now I can play without worrying anymore! Sis is safe and is with us so hooray!~ We'll celebrate by playing lots of games and having lots of fun!"

"She's now even carefree than earlier…. Oh crap…." Kuroe sighed as he gets dragged along by his friend. But deep inside him, Kuroe feels somewhat relieved that they were all out of trouble now, especially Nitroplus and his friend, Yuu.

* * *

Hours passed by as the XBC14 Elite sails along the waters. It was early in the afternoon, Yuu and Kuroe are gazing at the rushing waters of the sea by the railings of the corridor as the ship continues to sail. Kuroe was looking tired and worn out after losing to so many games against Yuu. And as for the little girl, Yuu gazes at the horizon with an awed expression on her face as the wind gently blows into her smiling face.

"Hey there, little ones."

As the two children looked back to see who addressed them, there they saw Harley walking towards them.

"Oh, it's the lady who gave me those glass bottles!" Yuu said as she merrily waves at Harley.

And as Harley walks closer, Yuu can't help but notice something moving on Harley as she approaches.

"Wow…. Bouncy bouncy..." Yuu said in awe before looking down on her own chest with determination. "I will be bouncy bouncy too when I grow up…."

"And look. It's the cheerful girl I met in the city." Harley said as she waves back at Yuu. "And who knew you were the long lost girl Vert was looking for all this time…."

"Hm?"

"Hehe. Just talking to myself, little girl." Harley said as she gently pats Yuu's head before leaning her back on the railings. "Hm?"

Harley then noticed that Kuroe was trying his best to not look at her. And he is blushing profusely.

"What's wrong with your friend?"

"Hm? Oh, Kuroe just gets really shy towards pretty ladies. He is always like that.~" Yuu explained playfully.

"Th-that is not it, Yuu…! Jeez…!" Kuroe retorted defensively.

"But you're also a pretty girl, Yuu. Why isn't he shy towards you?" Harley asked a bit teasingly.

"I think Kuroe likes grown up girls, especially girls with big boobies." Yuu replied innocently like the child she is.

"Boobies? Pfft...Hahahaha! Where did you picked up that word, kid?" Harley asked, amused at the little girl.

But before Yuu could answer, Kuroe suddenly pinched Yuu's cheek hard.

"Yuu…! What are you saying…?!" Kuroe said embarrassingly as he pinched both of Yuu's cheeks this time.

"But itsh thrue…! You do like big boobiesh…!" Yuu said as she tries to pry out Kuroe's hands off her cheeks.

"Hehe. Seems you two are still playing around, I see."

Nitroplus walks in and gently pats Yuu's head. And due to Nitroplus' appearance in the scene, Kuroe shyly lets go of Yuu's cheeks and proceeded to look at the horizon bashfully through the railings.

"Looks like your back in shape now. And kind of refreshing to see you wearing your usual black jacket and skirt." Harley mentioned as she pats Nitroplus in the shoulder." Too bad about your left hand, though."

"I can manage just fine even with a missing hand, miss Harley. Don't worry." Nitroplus replied calmly and with a smile of confidence. "Lady Vert did promised a prosthetic hand for me so I'm looking forward to that."

"Hmhm. That is good to hear then." Harley said in relief. "Oh, and here. As requested by Vert herself, she told me to make these for you. Here you go."

Harley then gave Nitroplus a small, translucent container that seems to house green colored capsules.

"A batch of more powerful Healing capsules. Just for you."

"Thank you, miss Harley. I'll carefully keep these handy." Nitroplus said gratefully as she stores the container on the pocket of her jacket.

"Oh!~ I see something over there!"

And as the girls heard what Yuu just shouted excitedly, they all proceeded to look at the direction where the little girl was pointing at.

"Well what do you know. We've arrived."

Yuu, Nitroplus and Kuroe gazed at the horizon to see a stretch of land coming in closer.

"Is that…?"

"Leanbox, my dear. We've finally made it home. Hmhm~"

And as Vert stepped in to join the group, the three people who were unfamiliar with the nation gazed upon at the approaching land even more.

And as Yuu look at the approaching land, she can't help but wonder about something.

"So…what do we do there, sis?" Yuu asked Nitroplus out of curiosity.

"What you ask? Hmhm it's simple, Yuu."

Nitroplus then rests her hand gently on the little girl's head before speaking.

"We start a new life…. We are off to a new beginning."

"A new…beginning." Yuu repeated as she looks at the horizon to see the shores of Leanbox come close as the ship sails toward it.

"And I will do my best to support the three of you in your goal to have a new, peaceful beginning as you live in my homeland." Vert assured to Nitroplus, Yuu and Kuroe.

Kuroe then, bashfully faced Nitroplus and gave a polite bow.

"I'll…try my best not to be a burden to you, miss Nitro…."

"Hmhm. You've actually grown close to us, Kuroe. So I don't mind having you with us." Nitroplus said as he pats the boy's head gently. "Well to be honest, I'm actually glad you're here with us than you being stuck there in that weird city. Just…don't suddenly wander off without any of us knowing, okay?"

"Oh~ Quite an adventurer, huh boy." Harley told Kuroe with a grin. And Kuroe reacted by blushing and looking away from her.

"But what about the incident, lady Vert? How will you handle it?" Nitroplus asked to the CPU.

"I will still think about it. But you need not worry about it, my dear. You've still got a new life to start over here, after all. Live the peaceful life while under my guidance. And not to mention that…"

Vert then rests her right hand on Nitroplus' head for a moment before removing it gently.

"…you still need to recover your memories, after all. Hmhm."

"Still, if you need assistance, I'd be glad to help."

"I appreciate the offer, my dear."

* * *

And so, the ship has completely docked at the shores of the Leanbox port. Plenty of Leanbox soldiers stand saluting at the towering vessel as it docks. And there at the docks waits none other than the Oracle Vert assigned to manage the nation during her absence, Chika Hakozaki.

"Vert!~ I so miss you!~ As I have promised, we've come to welcome you back with open arms!~"

"Well, well. Look who is energetic at this time of day." Harley jokingly said as she and Bahus starts to walk down to the docks after saying their goodbyes to Vert and the others.

"Hmhm. Your dear sister is as ecstatic as ever, huh Vio." Vert said with a giggle.

"More like ecstatic to see only you, Vert…." Vio said with a sigh. "Oi, keep it down, will you Chika! You're not acting like a proper Oracle to the CPU!"

"Ah! Don't dictate to me what to do, sister!" Chika shouted from the docks angrily.

"Oh, you two. Hahaha~." Vert giggled at the skit Vio and Chika are doing. She then turned her attention to the three. "So, here we are. Ready to face a new beginning, my dears?"

For Nitroplus, it was a start of something new and fresh for her. She can look after Yuu and Kuroe with ease while at Leanbox. Yuu and Kuroe can find new friends to meet here while having the freedom to enjoy life to the fullest as the children that they are.

And for Nitroplus…no, for Sachika Kibagahara, it's important for her to recover her lost memories. But as she gazes upon the two children who are excitedly walking down the gangway accompanied by Vio, she can't help but ask herself if her past is still important to remember…especially since she's now off to start a new life. But unlike the life she experienced under the watchful eye of the government of Dorfa, she can easily experience a more carefree life while under Vert's guidance.

"Sachika, if it's about your memories, I can help you with that. But as I have said, you can live here without worry. That, I can assure to you and the two children." Vert said calmly before giving off a gentle bright smile. It's as if she managed to read what was in Sachika's mind.

Although surprised about it, Sachika has put that in mind. And after a very short thinking, she came to a conclusion….

"I think I don't mind it that much anymore, lady Vert."

Surprised by this, Vert's eyes widened a bit before returning to their usual calm form.

"Are you sure about that, Sachika?"

Sachika paused for a bit, thinking for a second, before finally answering Vert with a nod.

"It's giving me a headache, anyways. I think it's best to let it just…come in my head rather than force myself to remember anything about my past if it suddenly flashes in my mind..."

"I see."

And by there, Vert let out a sigh of relief before looking at Sachika with a calm and friendly smile.

"Then I welcome you to Leanbox, Sachika. Make yourself at home.~"

"Thank you, lady Vert."

Arc Two – Concluded

* * *

Note: Thank you all for reading my second part of my fan fiction. It took me more than a year to complete it due to busy schedules but I managed to pull through and conclude this story. So thank you all and I hope to hear from you all soon on the next Arc. – CloneNo.9982


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